Workman Hurt as House Blows Up Before New Owner

A man was burned on his hands and face but managed to walk out of a North Hollywood house that exploded Tuesday just as its new owner drove up, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

Raston Toca, 36, was in stable condition with first- and second-degree burns at AMI Medical Center of North Hollywood after the 10:40 a.m. blast that destroyed the single-family home in the 5900 block of Colfax Avenue, officials said.

Battalion Chief Robert MacMillan said the empty house was recently purchased and Toca was doing minor repair and remodeling work. He said Toca, of North Hollywood, apparently ignited a large accumulation of natural gas when he lit a cigarette.

The explosion occurred just as the new owner of the home and a friend pulled up in a car. “The place blew up right in front of them,” MacMillan said.

Toca “told the paramedics that took him to the hospital that he smelled gas,” MacMillan said. “He also stated that he lit a cigarette.”

A man who was walking in the area at the time of the explosion told fire investigators that he smelled gas shortly before the blast.

Officials said the explosion apparently occurred in the house’s attic, where the gas had accumulated. But investigators had not determined Tuesday the location of the gas leak.

“When the explosion took place, all of the interior ceilings were blown downward and the roof was raised several inches,” MacMillan said.

The windows of the house also were blown out and there was other structural damage. The loss was estimated at $225,000, said Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells.

It was unknown where Toca was inside the house when the explosion occurred, but MacMillan said he was able to get out before a fire ignited in the wreckage and swept through the house.

About 20 firefighters extinguished the fire in 15 minutes, Wells said.