Man Still Critical After Explosion
A 32-year-old Ventura man whose home exploded remained in critical condition Thursday at a Torrance burn facility.
Kelley Becker sustained second- and third-degree burns to more than 50% of his body early Wednesday morning at his home in the 200 block of East Lewis Street, just off North Ventura Avenue.
“There is no turn for the worse, probably a little better, but [he is] not out of the woods,” said a spokeswoman at the Torrance Medical Burn Center.
A natural gas leak caused Becker’s 20-foot-by-20-foot studio apartment to explode after he lit a cigarette, according to Ventura Fire Department officials.
Investigators from the city’s Building and Permit Inspection Department determined Thursday that the apartment, which had been renovated in the spring, did not require permits and that all the changes met city requirements, said Bob Prodoehl, a building official.
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