Baby Critical in Heater Blast; Father Held
A 3-month-old girl was in critical condition with burns Saturday and dozens were left homeless after the infant’s father allegedly disconnected a gas line in their apartment in a suicide attempt, causing a blast heard half a mile away.
The 5:15 a.m. explosion forced all 34 residents of the two-story building to evacuate indefinitely.
Five people were treated for cuts and bruises, while the baby’s mother, Anna Owczsarska, 21, was in good condition with minor burns at Valley Medical Center.
Her live-in boyfriend, Mark Muszynski, 33, escaped unharmed and was arrested on charges of felony child endangerment and recklessly causing a fire, said Officer Louis Quezada.
Muszynski dismantled a connector that supplied gas to the first-floor studio’s wall heater. When Owczsarska returned about three hours later, she lit the cigarette that ignited the gas, Quezada said.
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