Gas Explosion Injures 2, Leaves 3 Families Homeless

A gas explosion rocked an apartment building Monday morning, shattering windows throughout the neighborhood and leaving three families at least temporarily homeless.

Four people were inside an apartment building at 27111 Calle Del Commercio when a leak from an illegally modified gas line ignited about 10:30 a.m., firefighters said. The resulting blast rocked the building on its foundation and caused panic along the quiet residential street.

But surprisingly, firefighters said, only two people received minor injuries: a resident who received minor cuts to his legs and a police officer who suffered from smoke inhalation when he tried to put out a small fire ignited by the blast.

“I’m amazed that there weren’t more injuries,” said Jack Stubbs, a spokesman for the city Fire Department. “It literally blew out the walls of a laundry room,” where the gas leak occurred.

Fire inspectors declared the building uninhabitable and three residents were checked into temporary lodgings at an area hotel by the American Red Cross.

One woman said she was awakened by the explosion and the shattering of her bedroom windows.

“It was not a pleasant experience,” said the woman, who asked not to be identified. “I thought it was a shell from (Camp) Pendleton.”

Stubbs said there was pandemonium on the street after the blast, as worried neighbors looked for children and pets.

“There was lots of confusion and shouting and disorientation,” he said. “It was a frightening experience for people there.”

The explosion occurred after a gas dryer was taken out of the apartment’s laundry room, Stubbs said. The repairman capped the gas line properly. But the line had been illegally connected to a plastic PVC connector behind the wall, Stubbs said. When the gas line was capped, the plastic connector apparently cracked, allowing gas to escape.