Fransisco Castrejon, 62, stands inside his house, which was damaged by a warehouse explosion nearby in Houston on Jan. 24, 2020. The massive explosion at Watson Grinding & Manufacturing in Northeast Houston damaged hundreds of homes and killed three people., The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
The Watson Grinding and Manufacturing Co. facility, in the 4500 block of Gessner, exploded shortly before 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2020, killing two employees, Gerardo Castorena Sr., 45, and Frank Flores, 44, as well as one nearby resident, Gilberto Mendoza Cruz, 47.into the incident on Thursday, highlighting the physical and policy errors that led to the catastrophic event that left many Houstonians rebuilding their homes and lives amid the coronavirus pandemic.