2020 Houston explosion

On January 24, 2020, a building at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing in northwest Houston, Texas, United States, exploded at 4:24 a.m. Debris was scattered as far as 1/2 mi, and approximately 200 nearby houses and businesses were damaged. Officials asked local residents to search for debris and body parts to assist with an investigation into the explosion's cause. An absence of zoning ordinances separating industrial areas from residences is known to prevail in the vicinity of the explosion.

Two deaths were reported on the morning of the incident. Both men were employees of Watson Grinding and Manufacturing. A third man, whose home was impacted by debris from the explosion, died from his injuries on February 5. Eighteen people "self reported" to emergency rooms for minor injuries. Forty-eight people sought shelter from Red Cross, and two schools in the vicinity were closed for the day. Some homes near the facility were blasted off their foundations, and some had collapsed ceilings, shattered windows, and bent garage doors.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives personnel assisted the Houston Fire and Police Departments with the investigation. Multiple lawsuits have already been filed.

Watson Grinding and Manufacturing filed for bankruptcy in February 2020.

Cause
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released its final investigation report on June 29, 2023. According to the CSB "On the day prior to the incident, January 23, 2020, the coating booth operators shut down the individual booths following a normal workday, and the Coating Supervisor closed and locked the coating building. On this day, the Coating Supervisor did not close either of the two manual shutoff valves located at the propylene storage tank, which should have isolated the propylene storage tank from the piping that supplied propylene vapor to the coating building."