Tuesday marks exactly one year since a home in a Plano neighborhood exploded, causing damage to nearby homes and sending several people to the hospital.
Twelve months later and the cleanup continues for some while others wonder about the investigation behind the blast.
In the afternoon of July 19, 2021, in the 4400 block of Cleveland Dr., an active thunderstorm was passing through the area. At first, some thought a lightning strike caused the big explosion, but would later learn that was not the case.
Investigators thought an isolated gas leak caused the explosion, but days later said they believed it may have been an intentional act.
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Drive down the street of Cleveland Dr. and people will see boarded-up windows and permit signs splattered across many doors of people who have had to remodel their homes.
"I hope nothing like this happens to anyone," said Andrzej "Andy" Wiszenko, whose home is across the street from where the explosion happened.
He wasn't home at the time, but his Ring security camera captured the blast. Wiszenko said he remembers several neighbors calling him to tell him what happened and says he still gets goosebumps talking about the situation.
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Several doors down, another neighbor described how she's still feeling the aftershock of what happened.
"There are still those moments when you hear a loud boom from construction going on or something going on, and I still jump," said Karri Armstrong, who was in her home office when the explosion blew out her front window.
"We had slight damage, nothing really big. Had some windows blown out on this side of the house, but other that, pretty blessed," said Craig Glenn, who lives across the street from Armstrong.
The home where the incident took place is now just a concrete slab, but the house next to it stands the same as it did in 2021. The damaged property has some neighbors concerned since it has a visible lean.
“The walls are falling in, and there’s been nothing done to that house," said Armstrong. "It's frustrating. I know there’s all these houses going on the market, and what do you do when you try and put your house on the market and you got all of this damage around you?"
A city spokesperson said the home has a new owner and they are currently facing code violations. The city is trying to get the owner to appear in court and is waiting on a court date.
The man inside the home that exploded, who at the time was identified by his attorney as Joseph Kupfor, underwent several surgeries due to injuries from the blast.
Last year Kupfor's attorney, Scott Becker, spoke to NBC DFW about his client. A request Monday for comment was unanswered as of this writing.
The blast at 4429 Cleveland Dr. not only leveled the house but caused debris like glass, sheetrock and wood to scatter everywhere.
Two parents and three kids inside the home next door were injured and had to be treated. At the time of the explosion, a close family friend spoke with NBC DFW, about their recovery, and said they were lucky to be alive.
The Plano Police Department said it is working on a request from NBC DFW for an update on the investigation.
