Dallas, TexasRobotaxis
Driverless car partly blocks fire route at Dallas apartment explosion
A driverless car stopped near the scene, partly blocking the route fire trucks needed, until a deputy constable got inside and moved it.
DALLAS — A five-alarm natural gas explosion and fire at the Clyde apartments in Dallas's Oak Cliff neighborhood killed three people and injured five others on Thursday, May 28. As crews converged on the building, a driverless Waymo sat in the street nearby, partly blocking the route fire trucks needed.
Body camera video from a Dallas County deputy constable shows him urging the car to move, then pressing its rider-support button. A Waymo employee told him the system seemed to be having a minor issue and asked him to wait. After close to three minutes of back-and-forth, the car was unlocked and the deputy drove it to a safe spot himself.
Waymo said the car was finishing a three-point turn to leave the area and was yielding to traffic when the deputy walked up, and that the street stayed clear and other vehicles kept moving. The company credited the deputy for working with its team and said it has trained more than 35,000 first responders nationwide, including thousands in Texas.
At a glance
- Where
- The Clyde apartments, Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas
- When
- Thursday, May 28, 2026
- What
- A driverless robotaxi partly blocking the route fire trucks needed
- Operator
- Waymo
- Cause
- The company said the car was making a three-point turn and yielding to traffic
- Cleared
- The deputy drove it to a safe spot after Waymo's remote team unlocked it
Original headline: “Waymo blocks Dallas road as first responders rush to explosion”
Read the full story on FOX 4Also reported by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Summary written by sonr from published news reports. sonr was not involved in this incident and isn't affiliated with the companies or news outlets named.