Firefighters respond after house explosion east of downtown Houston

HFD firefighters responded after a house explosion near the 2nd Ward, in downtown Houston Friday morning. The call first came in as a "house fire" around 10 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the fire at the home located at the 100 block of Bryan at Canal street east of downtown Houston. Authorities say that there are no reports of injuries.

According to initial reports from the homeowner's daughter, she said that her parents have lived there for about 20 years, and they have a lot of memories there. The daughter said the mom was sad to see her home in that condition, but she's happy that no one was hurt. The HFD Fire Chief said it initially looked like a natural gas explosion.

The couple who lives at the home was already at work when the blast ripped a part their home. Neighbors say their homes shook and when they walked outside they saw flames and smelled the odor of natural gas. Some residents say they saw Centerpoint Energy workers in the area just before the explosion.