Austin TX home w/ tunnels containing guns etc.

[festus]

by NOELLE NEWTON / KVUE News
Photos reveal inside look at East Austin tunnel home | kvue.com | KVUE News local | Austin, Tx | Breaking news
kvue.com

Posted on May 18, 2010 at 5:34 PM

Updated Tuesday, May 18 at 6:14 PM

Related:
Tunnels discovered beneath East Austin home
19 guns taken from tunnels under East Austin home
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The City of Austin Tuesday released photos of the web of tunnels a man dug underneath his East Austin home.

Under the yellow home are three stories of tunnels. For at least two years, neighbors suspected owner Jose Del Rio was up to something strange, but had no idea just how busy he'd been.

"He must have dug day and night, day and night,” said Zeldta Landon.

Landon's grandmother lives next door to the property. She showed KVUE where the ground has begun to cave in along the fence line. You can even see down into Del Rio's underground bunker. She says Del Rio was often seen carrying out loads of dirt.

On Tuesday, the city released pictures from below taken by code compliance officers. Del Rio apparently used ladders to travel from level to level.

According to a search warrant executed on May 8th, officers found 19 guns down there, ammunition, batteries and chemicals.

"Primarily some compressed gas tanks, acetylene and oxygen, which are primarily used for welding,” said Melissa Martinez, code compliance department.

KVUE shared the photos with Landon's family.

"It's scary to know that he had all that down there. What if something had exploded,” Landon said.

Melissa Martinez with the city code compliance department says the priority is safely removing those chemicals.

The city is working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Once the property is safe, officers will be able to determine just how many code violations Del Rio has and if the house will remain standing.

"I can tell you that our consulting engineering group has given a recommendation on the extent of the excavation and they believe that filling the hole is a viable option,” Martinez said.

We should know the final decision on the property in two weeks.

[HootmonSccy]

Who knew it was illegal to dig under your house..
How hard is it to remove Oxygen and Acetylene really..
This would not happen in most of Florida, dig down a couple of feet and you get wet pretty fast!

IF they throw this guy in prison they better hide the spoons.. I'm thinking he could put the "shawshank redemption" guy to shame...

[Fondis Firearms]

I guess you need a permit to put a basement in your house

Who knows how many people have something similar to this... Heck, I have a basement, and ladders, batteries, oxygen & acytelyne in my garage, and lots of guns in my safe... Will they be coming after me next?

[Onlinedad]

OH I get it, its okay for the govt to dig giant holes in the ground and lets say... oh I dunno stick a nuclear bomb down in their tunnel. But, if a private citizen wants to do some underground welding then thats off limits. The only reason this guy wasn't up to code was because he wasn't finished with it yet. Hmmm makes me wonder, what are the codes for underground hobby building anyway? I wonder if this guy will open up a new consoltation buisness to help other people who have the same hobby

[JSDinTexas]

"It's scary to know that he had all that down there. ..."

Anything and everything scares the tree-hugging eco-veggies in Austin - believe me, I know - I used to live in that worthless town.

[ecocks]

I have no problem with code construction standards. Hopefully, he'll get a good lawyer to sort through what the facts are and deal with the code violations (if any). Seems valid to complain if the neighbors' yards are showing evidence of countersinking.

Certainly the 19 guns is nothing particularly unusual. The neighbor is apparently an easily-unnerved type on that issue. The "chemicals" and welding materials may or may not constitute a problem for him and the neighborhood. More facts are needed.

[FN1910]

If we are going to hole the coal companies responsible for reventing cave in while tunneling then I suppose we can hold individuals responsible for precenting cav ins. I don't know how far the tunnels went but it doesn't look like it could have been very far witout going off of his property according to the photos. Personally I don't care to go down in them or stand on top.

[Boomboy007]

I guess you need a permit to put a basement in your house

Who knows how many people have something similar to this... Heck, I have a basement, and ladders, batteries, oxygen & acytelyne in my garage, and lots of guns in my safe... Will they be coming after me next?

Short answer..... yes.

I am sure that we are ALL on the short list.

[1911 Headbanger]

Who knew it was illegal to dig under your house..
How hard is it to remove Oxygen and Acetylene really..
This would not happen in most of Florida, dig down a couple of feet and you get wet pretty fast!

IF they throw this guy in prison they better hide the spoons.. I'm thinking he could put the "shawshank redemption" guy to shame...

Same here. Dig a foot and a half down here and the hole fills up with water. No such thing as basements in South Louisiana. Wish I could. I'd have one myself. I have been trying to figure out the best way to work a bomb shelter here. Most of the old Cold War shelters were dug about a foot into the ground and concrete slabbed low in the ground, with a concrete dome over it and dirt built up over the dome with grass growing on it. Looks like a big hump in the ground.

[HK4U]

"It's scary to know that he had all that down there. ..."

Anything and everything scares the tree-hugging eco-veggies in Austin - believe me, I know - I used to live in that worthless town.

+1. Glad you were ale to get out. I do not even like to go down there on business. You know the slogan about "keep Austin Weird". Not much chance of it being anything but.