Austin officials: controlled detonation at South Austin home; separate North Austin blast under investigation

Mayor Kirk Watson and Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said Tuesday that police and federal partners carried out a controlled detonation at a South Austin home after finding a large quantity of homemade explosives, and that a separate home explosion in North Austin is being investigated by the Travis County fire marshal.

The detonation at a residence in the 2400 block of Vintage Stave Road followed a call from a concerned citizen and an overnight investigation by APD’s bomb squad, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI chemists and other partners, Chief Lisa Davis said. "It was determined that only the only way to safely detonate some of the explosive material inside of the residence was to detonate it on-site," Davis said.

No injuries were reported in the Vintage Stave Road incident. The house that contained the explosive material sustained major damage and a neighboring house had minor siding damage, Davis said. APD said the detonation occurred at about 5 p.m.

Police arrested 66‑year‑old Steven Aldrichs on a state charge of felony possession of components and explosives, Davis said. She said Aldrichs had a prior explosives‑related arrest in Williamson County for a prohibited‑weapon felony, served a six‑year sentence with about two years served in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and had roughly two weeks remaining on parole when this incident occurred. The investigation is ongoing and officials declined to release additional specifics to protect the integrity of the probe.

Watson said the two explosions are unrelated. "These events are entirely separate with entirely separate apparent causes," the mayor said, noting the city’s response involved local, county, state and federal agencies.

Separately, city and county officials investigated an explosion on Double Spur Loop in North Austin. Austin Fire Department, Austin‑Travis County EMS and several county, state and federal agencies responded; the Travis County fire marshal is leading that investigation, and officials said the damage there was isolated to the single home.

The City of Austin’s Development Services Department began outreach Monday to the properties affected by the incidents and completed more than 60 damage assessments, Watson said. DSD is prioritizing review and permitting for emergency repairs so residents can return to and repair homes as quickly as possible.

Officials described evacuations and street closures around the South Austin scene during the operation. Davis said officers evacuated nearby homes and worked with ATF and FBI chemists to calculate safety measures; she described use of tamping and reinforcement techniques to limit damage when detonating volatile materials indoors. "Residents in the area again were evacuated out of an abundance of caution and streets nearby were closed to ensure the safety of our community," she said.

Davis and Watson thanked first responders and federal partners for their coordination and urged residents to enroll in the city’s emergency alert system. Davis recommended signing up for Everbridge alerts and the regional WARN Central Texas emergency notification service to receive reverse‑911 and other notices.

Officials declined to disclose the precise chemical composition of the explosive materials. Chief Davis said investigators weighed safety and volatility concerns in deciding that on‑site detonation was the safest option and that transporting the materials across the city would have posed greater risks.

Mayor Watson thanked city, county and federal personnel for the response and reiterated that no lives were lost. "These are pros that do keep us safe," he said.

Questions from reporters during the news conference covered evacuation timing, whether the arrested man had been under active monitoring while on parole, and how long neighbors were kept from their homes; officials said occupants were removed from surrounding homes immediately after officers identified hazardous materials and that utilities were restored and residents returned once fire officials deemed it safe.