7 Injured in Tijuana Blast Blamed on Gas Line Leak

Mexican authorities say a leaking gas line was the likely catalyst to a deafening explosion and subsequent fire in downtown Tijuana Saturday that damaged or destroyed almost two dozen businesses and injured seven people, including a mother and son who both suffered extensive burns.

While investigators continued to examine the rubble in search of a definitive cause, a police official said Sunday that officials believe gas had been leaking from a line inside one of the damaged buildings. The gas line may have led to a cooking stove, said Emilio Tejeda, supervisor for the Tijuana municipal police.

At least one witness reported smelling gas just before the blast, Tejeda said.

The thunderous explosion--heard throughout the downtown area and beyond--occurred about 9:25 a.m. inside a storefront on Avenue D between Third and Second streets, a major shopping area for Mexican and U.S. citizens alike.

The blast blew out shop fronts, door frames and windows on both sides of Avenue D, police said. Shards of wood, glass and other debris rained onto the adjacent street and sidewalk, damaging vehicles and sending pedestrians scrambling for safety.

After the blast, authorities said, area residents, shoppers, workers and others ran out into the street in near-panic, fearing another explosion.

The resulting blaze raged on for more than 1 1/4 hours, police said, before firefighters wereable to control it. Traffic was rerouted for several hours.

The most seriously injured were Maria Elena Bazan de Rico, 29, and her son, Marco Antonio Bazan Rico, 8, both of whom suffered considerable burns, authorities said.

The two, who reside in an apartment behind a damaged shop, were initially listed in critical condition at a private Tijuana hospital, police said. Their condition on Sunday could not be determined.

Five other persons, including shop employees and passers-by, received less-severe injures, authorities said.

There was no firm price estimate on the damage, but it was expected to be considerable, as about 20 concerns reported damage, police said.

Among the businesses most seriously affected, authorities said, were a pharmacy, two beauty shops, a furniture store, a butcher shop, a sweet shop, a florist and a fabric concern. Some are completely destroyed, police said.