Shooting Range Reopens: Austin facility reactivates bays after blast
The Range at Austin resumed partial operations six days after a fireball forced an evacuation at its South Austin location.
By Ivan Dvorak ·
Six days after a sudden explosion forced an evacuation at a South Austin shooting range, the facility has begun reopening its indoor bays. The Range at Austin, located at 8301 S. Interstate 35 frontage road, suspended all shooting operations following the incident on October 25.
The business emailed customers this week to announce that its 25-yard shooting bays are set to reopen on Saturday, October 31. The larger 100-yard range will remain closed through the weekend and is scheduled to reopen on Monday, November 2. The retail store and gunsmith department continued operating during the closure.
The Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office logged the explosion at 10:37 a.m. on October 25. Officials reported no injuries and opened an investigation to determine the cause of the blast. The business initially stated that the bays would remain closed indefinitely for maintenance.
Witnesses who posted accounts on Reddit described hearing a loud explosion and seeing a brief fireball inside one of the shooting bays. Several noted that employees quickly moved customers out of the building. One witness reported smelling gas after the evacuation.
The range has not detailed the specific repairs completed before the reopening or confirmed whether investigators have identified the cause of the explosion. In its latest communication, the business instructed customers to check in normally and stated that existing safety procedures would remain in effect.
