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'Absolutely unsettling' | Fire officials give latest on the massive explosion on the southeast side

The explosion happened Friday night on the property of K-Bar Construction on South Presa.

SAN ANTONIO — All four victims of an explosion on the southeast side of San Antonio have been identified as of Wednesday.

The explosion happened Friday night on the property of K-Bar Construction on South Presa. One of those victims was identified as Roger Huron, 36. Another has been identified as 28-year-old Ashley Autobee. Wednesday, KENS 5 learned the identity of two more victims, James Gus Kalisek, 61, and William Thompson, 57.

Fire Chief Charles Hood led a news conference Tuesday and said the property was being used to house both the construction equipment as well as an underground residence where multiple people were living.

Hood said during the update that the cause of the explosion is still under investigation. SAPD, FBI and ATF were on the scene assisting. The department has ruled out the possibility of a drug lab on the property or explosive devices as potential causes.

Credit: KENS

The explosion on the 75-acre property was huge, according to the chief. He said trees that were far from the main underground house were charred, indicating that the blast reached a wide radius.

The underground house was 4,000 square feet, 12 feet underground and equipped with septic tanks. Chief Hood said there was quite a bit of water in the structure and the walls were not stable.

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"When I got out there and saw it yesterday, it was absolutely unsettling as far as the devastation that we witnessed," Chief Hood said. "You don't see this type of explosion inside of a building like this."

Below is a timeline of the explosion:

Friday, Dec. 9:

  • 11:12 p.m. Initial dispatch for report of "small explosion" with no specific address given
  • 11:21 p.m. First arriving fire crew asseses the area to locate potential explosion
  • 11:28 p.m. K-Bar Construction property is discovered to be the location
  • 11:53 p.m. SAPD Bomb Squad is requested to clear the area for potential further hazards.
  • 11:55 p.m. First arriving SAFD crew locates the first victim.
  • Just after midnight, SAPD Bomb Squad clears the area for SAFD Arson Bureau for the investigation. SAFD, SAPD, FBI and ATF were on scene to assist.

Saturday, December 10:

  • 9:19 a.m. Human Remains K-9's on scene located the second victim outside the structure.
  •  4 p.m. During investigative excavation, the third victim was located inside the structure.

Sunday, December 11:

  • Fourth victim was located
  • Investigation on the property continued

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