Residents Displaced by Blast Wait to Go Home

Nineteen residents of an apartment complex who had been evacuated after a bug-bomb explosion remained at a local hotel Saturday, wondering when they would be allowed to return home.

The blast destroyed one unit and damaged three others, shooting broken glass through the working-class neighborhood. Building inspectors declared the eight-unit complex at 208 East C St. structurally unsafe, and it was unclear if the families would be allowed to return.

Displaced residents were assisted by the American Red Cross, which provided rooms at the nearby Country Inn.

“It’s strange for us,” said 65-year-old longshoreman Jesse Fuentes after his first night at the hotel. “It’s OK for a while, but they told us we’re going to be out at least until Monday.”

Authorities said the explosion occurred about 4:15 p.m. Friday after resident Delia Butler set out six bug bombs in her first-floor apartment to get rid of pests. The devices, which release toxic fumes, apparently detonated because a gas stove’s pilot light had been left on, authorities said.

Butler and other family members were pulling away in their car on 2nd Street when the explosion occurred, police said.

Few other tenants were home, but one who was--a second-floor resident--was knocked down by the force of the blast.

Authorities do not expect to file charges in the case. Butler was unavailable for comment.

Investigators said such accidents sometimes happen, even though labels on bug bombs warn against leaving pilot lights on during fumigation.

Next-door neighbors of the two-story building returned home to find their yards covered with debris and fire vehicles clogging nearby streets. A mix of senior citizens, young adults and families with young children lived in the building, neighbors said.

“There was glass everywhere, people everywhere,” said 28-year-old Sharon Palmer, who returned to her nearby home after her shift at Sam’s Club in Oxnard. “I didn’t think it was my street.”

Grace Estrada, another neighbor, said she came home Friday evening to find a young mother sitting on her front lawn, trembling as she tried to comfort her child.

“She was holding her baby,” Estrada said. “She was really shaken up.”

The apartment complex remained cordoned off by police tape Saturday. Fuentes said that residents and the landlord plan to meet at 4 p.m. Monday to determine if renters can return.

Authorities estimated damage to the building and to property at $85,000.