Dallas Fire & Explosion Injury Lawyer

Michael Lyons: Focus first on your safety and your family's well-being. Once everyone is safe, document as much information as possible and avoid making assumptions about the cause of the incident.

If an explosion, fire, or significant gas leak has occurred, there may be multiple investigations underway — involving utility companies, fire departments, insurance carriers, and governmental agencies. Families often benefit from speaking with experienced professionals who understand the investigative process and can help ensure important evidence is preserved. The sooner critical evidence is identified and protected, the better.

Michael Lyons: Natural gas explosion cases are among the most technically challenging in the legal system. Evidence can be destroyed in an instant. Critical information may be spread across utility records, maintenance logs, inspection reports, leak surveys, pipeline maps, and emergency response files maintained by multiple entities.

That's why early investigation is critical. Over the years, we've built relationships with some of the nation's leading experts in:

• Natural gas distribution systems
• Pipeline engineering
• Utility operations and safety
• Fire origin and cause investigations
• Explosion reconstruction
• Pipe failure analysis
• Regulatory compliance and industry standards
• Human factors and emergency response

When an explosion occurs, our goal is to help preserve evidence, uncover the facts, and ensure that families receive honest answers about what happened and why.

Michael Lyons: Natural gas and propane explosions are among the most devastating cases we handle. These incidents leave families facing catastrophic injuries — severe burns, traumatic brain injuries, wrongful death — and the complete loss of their homes and belongings. Victims are often left searching for answers while investigators and utility companies work to determine what happened.

At Lyons & Simmons, we've spent decades investigating complex explosion and fire cases throughout Texas, representing individuals and families whose lives were forever changed by preventable utility failures.

Most recently, our firm obtained a $109.5 million jury verdict on behalf of a mother and son who suffered life-altering injuries in a residential natural gas explosion. The case exposed years of warnings, safety concerns, and infrastructure failures that led to a tragedy that should never have occurred.

Cases like these require far more than a basic understanding of personal injury law. They demand deep expertise in utility systems, pipeline operations, engineering principles, fire science, accident reconstruction, and the regulations governing natural gas and propane providers.

Michael Lyons: We need a broader conversation about natural gas safety in Texas — one that includes:

• Increased investment in aging infrastructure
• Accelerated replacement of older pipelines
• More proactive leak detection programs
• Greater public education about underground gas leaks
• Wider adoption of combustible gas detectors in homes and businesses
• Stronger regulatory oversight by the Texas Railroad Commission

Most importantly, we should stop treating major gas explosions as isolated incidents. Every explosion deserves a thorough investigation, but we should also be asking whether broader infrastructure challenges are contributing to these tragedies. The goal shouldn't simply be determining what happened after an explosion — it should be preventing the next one.

Michael Lyons: There are several practical steps every family can take.

1. Purchase a combustible gas detector.
Most homes today have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Combustible gas detectors should be just as common. Modern gas detectors can alert occupants to the presence of methane and other combustible gases even when no odor is noticeable.

2. Take gas odors seriously.
If you smell a rotten egg odor:

• Leave the area immediately
• Do not operate light switches
• Do not start vehicles nearby
• Do not use open flames
• Call 911 and your utility provider from a safe location

3. Watch for outdoor warning signs.
Potential indicators of an underground gas leak include:

• Dead or dying vegetation in isolated patches
• Bubbling water
• Hissing sounds near the ground
• Dirt or soil blowing up from the ground
• Repeated utility repair activity or marking in the area

4. Report concerns immediately.
You don't need to be certain there's a leak before making a call. If something doesn't seem right, report it.

Michael Lyons: My biggest concern is that public awareness hasn't caught up with the risk. Many people still believe that if they don't smell gas, they're safe. Unfortunately, that's not always true.

I also worry that too much emphasis is placed on public reporting while not enough attention is focused on proactive detection and infrastructure replacement. Aging systems require aggressive monitoring, inspection, and modernization. When failures occur, the consequences can be catastrophic.

Michael Lyons: It's important advice, but it's not enough on its own. People absolutely should call their utility company immediately if they smell gas — but many dangerous leaks don't announce themselves that way.

Most people don't realize that natural gas is completely odorless. Utility companies add a chemical called mercaptan to create a "rotten egg" smell that helps people detect leaks. That system works reasonably well when gas is leaking directly into a home. But underground leaks behave differently.

As gas migrates through soil, the surrounding earth can reduce or filter the odorant before the gas reaches the surface. Residents may have a dangerous gas leak nearby without ever detecting a strong smell — which is why investigators sometimes encounter explosion sites where neighbors report never smelling gas beforehand.

Michael Lyons: Older neighborhoods often contain the oldest infrastructure. Many Texas neighborhoods built in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s still rely on utility systems installed during that era. Even when utility companies perform routine maintenance and replacement work, portions of those systems can remain in service for decades.

As systems age without proper maintenance and modernization, leak risks naturally increase. That's why proactive inspection, monitoring, and replacement programs are so critical. Waiting until a leak is discovered is waiting too long.

Michael Lyons: There isn't a single answer. Natural gas distribution systems are incredibly complex networks of underground pipelines, service lines, valves, regulators, and connections — any of which can fail.

One concern is the age of the system itself. Some pipeline materials installed decades ago simply weren't designed to last forever. Many of the leaks we see leading to explosions are caused by defectively installed polyethylene gas lines, or polyethylene that has degraded past its useful life. Other cases involve old galvanized steel lines with coupling systems that fail and leak.

Texas's environment compounds the problem. The state's expansive clay soils experience significant movement during cycles of drought and rainfall — dry periods cause soil to shrink, while heavy rains cause shifting and erosion. Over time, that movement places stress on underground infrastructure, causing gradual deterioration over years or decades until a leak develops.

Gas utility providers know this risk exists, and they know that many materials used 40 to 50 years ago are dangerously prone to failure. When those failures occur, leaks can travel undetected through soil and enter structures without warning.

Michael Lyons: It certainly appears that way. We're seeing a growing number of serious incidents involving natural gas leaks, fires, and explosions across Texas, and patterns are emerging that concern me greatly.

Many of the communities experiencing these incidents have aging utility infrastructure. Some natural gas distribution systems in Texas were installed many decades ago — in some neighborhoods, portions of the system are more than 50 years old. As infrastructure ages, the risk of leaks increases if maintenance, inspection, and replacement efforts don't keep pace.

Over the last several years, Texans have watched a troubling number of homes, businesses, and neighborhoods devastated by natural gas explosions — from Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio to Houston and smaller communities across the state. These incidents are occurring with increasing frequency, often leaving families searching for answers.

Trial lawyer Michael Lyons has spent decades investigating these incidents alongside cause and origin experts, engineers, utility experts, and safety professionals. Below, he addresses the questions he hears most often.