HOUSTON – One year after an explosion devastated the Spring Branch community, homeowners are still dealing with the aftermath. The blast took place at the Watson Grinding & Manufacturing Company on Jan. 24, 2020. The explosion is being blamed for the death of two Watson Grinding & Manufacturing Co. employees and another person who’s family filed a lawsuit against the company. “We are in a much better position in terms of regulating what is next to you than we were before the Watson explosion. The former owners of Watson Grinding & Manufacturing Co. issued this statement Friday through a public relations firm ahead of the anniversary of the explosion:As we reflect on the terrible event that occurred one year ago, we express our sincere condolences to everyone affected.

HOUSTON – Two new lawsuits against Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, site of Friday’s explosion that killed two people and destroyed hundreds of homes, were made public Thursday. Watson employee, Sean Rangel, announced his own lawsuit Thursday, saying he was nearly killed by the blast as he parked his truck Friday morning near the plant. Rangel said he was parking his truck just before 4:30 a.m. Friday, when he saw his friend and co-worker, Frank Flores. As part of his lawsuit, Rangel claims he saw many chemical leaks at the Watson plant in his six years with the company. Watson’s spokesman told KPRC 2 the company will be paying all employees 80% of their salaries for the next 90 days.

HOUSTON – A Spring Branch couple has filed a lawsuit against Watson Grinding and Manufacturing. “I turned the light on, and I just saw the whole ceiling was gone and it was all on the bed, I couldn’t see my son,” Burnam said. “My daughter, she wakes up crying, it’s just hard.”The family hired attorney Ryan Zehl with Zehl & Associates. Zehl said Watson Grinding and Manufacturing needs to take responsibility for the explosion. The couple said the toughest part is feeling like the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing are not doing their part to help them during this difficult time.

Your insurance company will likely go after Watson Grinding & Manufacturing to get all of the money back they paid for repairing your home. This means that your insurance company should not factor your home’s depreciation into the money you will receive for repairs. You can hire a public insurance adjuster at any time. Cal Spoon, a public insurance adjuster and owner of InsuranceBusters.net said there is a 2 year statute of limitations after you receive your offer from your insurance company to dispute it with a public insurance adjuster. To do business in Texas, public insurance adjusters must be licensed with the Texas Department of Insurance.

This aerial photo taken from video provided by KTRK-TV shows damage to buildings after an explosion in Houston on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. A large explosion left rubble scattered in the area, damaged nearby homes and was felt for miles away. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Saturday walked through the impacted neighborhoods in northwest Houston and spoke with residents who were cleaning up after Friday’s explosion. “These people’s lives have been devastated by the Houston explosion. More than 80 of the volunteers were from Restore Houston, a network of area churches dedicated to assisting families whose homes were damaged from flooding during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

HOUSTON – An early-morning blast at a northwest Houston machining and manufacturing company Friday killed at least two people, according to officials. The blast happened around 4:20 a.m. at a business near Gessner Road and Clay Road. Some debris from the blast landed nearly half a mile away from the explosion site, Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted. Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, the site of the explosion, sustained significant damage. Photos of the northwest Houston business show the exterior before and after the massive blast.