COUNTYWIDE : Explosion in House Burns Repairman
A serviceman repairing kitchen cabinets was burned and hospitalized Tuesday when a refrigerator motor sparked a fire that gutted the interior of a Mission Viejo home, fire officials said.
Rick Pfiefer, 39, of Santa Ana, suffered second-degree burns over 30% of his body and was listed in serious but stable condition at the UCI Medical Center burn unit in Orange, said Orange County Fire Capt. Dan Young.
Firefighters were called to the house at 26991 Via San Diego at 1:45 p.m. when neighbors reported hearing “an explosion” resounding through the neighborhood.
Pfiefer was hired to repair kitchen cabinets that were reportedly damaged by another fire at the house last month, Young said. The refrigerator’s motor apparently sparked the fire when vapors from a cabinet sealant filled the kitchen, Young said, adding that there was a lack of ventilation.
“The entire house was filled with these vapors,” Young said. “The interior was totally destroyed.”
Young said the woman who rents the house and her three children were not harmed. Damage was estimated at $130,000.
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