For the first time since a house explosion in Waxahachie, the woman who survived the blast is sharing her story.
Adele Chavez and her brother, Jamie Rodriguez, were inside trapped beneath the rubble.
Chavez tells NBC 5 she was about to make breakfast on the morning of Sept. 21 at her house in the Saddlebrook Estates.
When she turned on the stove, the house exploded.
The explosion leveled most of the home, leaving only a small portion of the wood frame intact. Much of the home collapsed upon the foundation, though thousands of pieces of roofing debris and other building material were seen strewn across several nearby properties.
"I screamed out to God and told him, 'I want to live. I don't want to die today.' I know he spared my life," Chavez said. "I started yelling 'help me, help. Somebody help me.'"
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Neighbors jumped into action and rescued Chavez and Rodriguez.
"I'm very thankful to my God, first of all. I'm also thankful to my neighbors who were there for me," Chavez said.
Chavez spent six weeks at the hospital undergoing surgery and extensive physical therapy. She has burns to about 35 percent of her body, including her arms, legs, back and stomach.
Several Injured in Waxahachie House Explosion: Officials
In a lawsuit filed on Oct. 6, Metro Bore and Circle L Construction are the defendants in a case versus Chavez and Rodriguez.
According to the lawsuit, Metro Bore ripped through the natural gas service line serving a home across the street from Chavez's home. The lawsuit claims Metro Bore also shattered a large section of a sewer line serving Chavez's home.
Chavez alleges natural gas escaped underground and seeped in the sewer system and into the sewer line connected to her home.
The crews were installing a fiber optic line at the time of the blast.
Chavez is currently living at her daughter's home in Ennis.
Back in September, residents in the area told NBC 5 the explosion shook their homes and sounded like a bomb.
"I was like, four houses away from her house when it exploded ... you heard the explosion, the ground shook, smoke and debris was flying everywhere across the street," said JoAnn Williams. "It was over in a matter of 2, 3, maybe 4 seconds."
Chavez is suing for more than a $1 million, claiming gross negligence.
1st Amended Petition and TRO (Text)
