HOUSTON --
A series of four explosions rocked a Southeast Houston neighborhood late Friday.
"I thought someone threw a pipe bomb in the front yard, " said Debbie McNulty.
The explosion blew out windows at McNulty’s home and knocked pictures off the walls. It brought curiosity and as neighbors went to investigate, they saw a huge fire just feet from their house on Shawnee Street.
"I've never seen anything like it. I just ran over there and helped pull the guy out of the bathroom window," said Larry Field.
Field said he still gets goose bumps talking about it. He said once Collins Lacroix was pulled from his house, he was screaming for more help.
"He's screaming, 'she's still in there, she's still in there.' I started running back, but another explosion and the roof started to cave in and I couldn't. I couldn't go back in," said Field.
Houston firefighters couldn't go in, either. Two different crews battled the blaze in a defensive mode, fighting it from the outside while trying to protect the neighboring homes, too.
The woman Lacroix was begging for help for was his wife, Betty. Her body was found after the fire was put out.
Neighbors said they heard and felt four powerful explosions. CenterPoint Energy was called in to investigate a possible natural gas leak.
Local 2 has learned that Betty Lacroix used an oxygen tank.
"It looks like a natural gas explosion. The garage windows are completely blown away, the doors… that is a natural gas explosion with also oxygen bottles explosions after the fact," Houston Fire Department Deputy Chief Herman Gonzales said.
Neighbors said the Lacroixes lived on Shawnee Street for years.
"I've been in the neighborhood since my son was 2 years old . They were here when I got here. Just wonderful, wonderful neighbors," said Inez Shelton.
Collins Lacroix was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital with burns to 60 percent of his body.
HFD and CenterPoint Energy are investigating.
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