City removing debris at Sun Metro explosion site
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The City of El Paso is starting to remove the debris and unstable parts of the Sun Metro maintenance facility that was the site of February's explosion.
The cleanup efforts are starting today. The City says the cleanup will "support the ongoing investigation into the fire that damaged the site earlier this year."
The facility is located at 10151 Montana Avenue. The City has not let media into the site since the explosion, in which two Sun Metro employees sustained injuries from which they later died.
The City says that progress was delayed in part by the extent of the damage and the need to coordinate with structural engineers, insurance providers, and investigators.
"Required state and federal approvals also took time, and recent high winds and severe weather made it unsafe to proceed sooner," a city spokesperson explained. "To protect the integrity of the investigation, the work will be carried out in carefully managed phases. Given the complexity of the site and safety considerations, the City will determine a completion timeline as the project advances."
The City says it remains committed to transparency in the aftermath of the explosion.
“This is a critical step in ensuring a safe environment for the investigators working to determine the cause of the fire,” said Deputy City Manager Nicole Cote, who oversees Sun Metro. “The structure is unstable, and without this work, it would be too dangerous to conduct a thorough investigation.”
