Woman Is Burned as 30 Cans of Pesticide Explode

A woman received first- and second degree burns when 30 cans of insect-killing foggers she set off in her Los Angeles home ignited, blowing out the windows and raising part of the roof, fire officials said.

The blast melted her clothes, burning her legs, said Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells. The woman, whom Wells did not identify, was taken to King/Drew Medical Center. The injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Wells said.

What triggered the explosion at 3:18 p.m. in the home on West 78th Street was unknown, he said. The woman activated the last of the cans in the kitchen, where possibly a water heater or stove pilot light ignited the chemicals, he said.

No one else was in the 800-square-foot home at the time.

“It’s amazing this lady was not killed during the explosion,” Wells said. “One fogger covers about a 12-by-12-foot area. At most, she should have used maybe four or five of these.

“Regardless of how many insects she had in the structure, it still does not warrant the overuse of the product,” he said.

Wells said city inspectors are checking the residence’s structural integrity. The damage was estimated at about $30,000, he said.