SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Gasoline Blast, Fire Displace 4 Residents
An early morning explosion and fire tore through two units of a small condominium complex Wednesday, displacing four men, authorities said.
No one was reported injured in the 6:27 a.m. incident in the 26400 block of La Zanja Street, according to the Orange County Fire Department.
Firefighters extinguished the flames in about 25 minutes. Investigators estimated the damage at $150,000, said spokeswoman Kathleen Cha.
Four men, whose names were not available, were checked into a local motel by county Red Cross officials because the walls and windows in their unit were severely damaged by flames, Red Cross spokeswoman Judy Iannaccone said. The residents of a second badly damaged unit planned to stay with friends, fire officials said.
The explosion, which shattered windows in several units, occurred when vapors from a can of gasoline were ignited by the pilot of a kitchen stove.
“There was the potential that these people could have been seriously injured,” Cha said.
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