A homeowner is demanding repairs be made after construction crews left him with thousands of dollars in property damage.
CONROE, Texas — A Conroe homeowner said construction crews left him with thousands of dollars in property damage after a gas line was struck outside his home.
Now, he’s demanding that repairs be made.
Rick Solano said the trouble started Tuesday morning when contractors for Ezee Fiber were working in his neighborhood to install high-speed internet lines. Later that day, firefighters knocked on his door and warned him to leave.
“They said I should leave the home because the gas was pretty intense,” Solano said.
Crews had hit a gas line in front of his house. When Solano returned a few hours later, he said CenterPoint Energy crews were on site making repairs. Surveillance video shows heavy equipment driving across his driveway.
At first, Solano wasn’t worried.
“I was aware that they were digging, but I wasn’t thinking they were going to damage property,” he said.
But after the crews left, he said he noticed significant problems.
“The culvert was damaged, the driveway was cracked all the way through, even the lamps — maybe from the machines backing in,” Solano said.
He estimates the damage could cost more than $10,000 to fix. Solano filed a claim with CenterPoint, but he said the company denied it.
“The operations supervisor came out to assess the issue. Once they came out, they immediately rejected the damages and stated that the damages existed prior to this scenario,” Solano said. “How does he know that without proof? There was no research; he didn’t interview the crews.”
Frustrated, Solano reached out to KHOU 11. After our inquiries, Ezee Fiber issued a statement apologizing for the incident.
“We certainly regret the incident at this resident’s property. It was due to an unmarked utility line, which is one of the main issues we face during construction of high-speed fiber internet.
“We apologize for this unfortunate accident and will ensure the property is restored to the way it was previously. The homeowner will not bear any expense for the repairs. Our contractor is reaching out to the homeowner today.”
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