10 Hurt as Blast Levels House

A house tented for termite fumigation in Torrance blew up about dawn Tuesday, damaging at least 80 homes and injuring 10 people, none seriously.

The blast, which leveled the one-story house and scattered debris over a two-block area, was felt as far away as Manhattan Beach and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Investigators from the Torrance Fire Department and Southern California Gas Co. sifted through mounds of shattered timbers and household items but were unable by late Tuesday to identify the cause of the explosion in the 20900 block of Tom Lee Avenue.

Natalie Reed, 19, said she was sleeping in the back bedroom of her home just in front of the one that exploded on a quiet cul-de-sac. She was jolted awake by the shock of the blast and the sound of her windows shattering and glass flying across the bedroom.

“At first I just thought I was having a nightmare, then I thought we were being attacked by terrorists--I thought somebody was bombing us,” said Reed as she stood with her family on a nearby lawn. Her foot, which she cut stepping on glass as she rushed out of the house, was wrapped in a makeshift bandage.

“I can’t believe I’m still alive,” said Reed.

The owners of the home that exploded, identified through property records as Robert T. and Helen Mimura, were out of town while the place was being fumigated, according to Tad Friedman, a spokesman for the Torrance Fire Department.

Torrance police and about 40 firefighters from the city and adjoining Redondo Beach responded to the 5:45 a.m. blast. They evacuated the area surrounding the home and soon determined no one was missing or trapped in any nearby houses.

At least 60 homes in Redondo Beach were damaged, according to Fire Chief Pat Aust, while about 20 in Torrance sustained broken windows, buckled walls or collapsed roofs, Friedman said.

Ten people, including five who were taken to hospitals, were treated for injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to sprains, Friedman said. Most were cut by broken glass as they made their way out of darkened rooms.

“We’re very fortunate and very relieved that all we had were 10 minor injuries,” Friedman said.

He said Torrance Building and Safety inspectors were evaluating damaged homes to determine whether they could be safely reoccupied.

The American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at nearby West High School.

Arson specialists joined the investigation, but officials said they did not suspect foul play.

Initially, representatives of Southern California Gas said they found the home’s main gas valve left open, raising the possibility that natural gas had filled the tent-sealed home and may have been ignited by a pilot light. Later, however, investigators found another, unauthorized valve that had shut off the gas flow to the house, making it less likely that a natural gas buildup caused the explosion.

Fumigators are responsible for shutting off gas mains, according to utility spokesman Peter Hidalgo.

An attorney for El Redondo Termite Control in Gardena said it had subcontracted the work to Anaheim-based Network Fumigation.

“We have no information as to the cause,” said the attorney, Leo Grizzaffi. “We’re not even sure what work exactly was done out there.”

A woman answering the phone at Network Fumigation said the company had no comment and hung up.

Many residents of the pleasant neighborhood of winding streets and well-tended homes said they thought the blast was an earthquake or perhaps an incident at a refinery a few miles away.

“It seemed like an earthquake, but there was no shaking. I didn’t realize how close it was until I went to the window and saw flames shooting high into the sky just up the street from us,” said Gloria Simonson.

Ann Rumbaugh, who lives half a block away, was just getting out of bed when her house shook.

“It was terrifying,” she said. “At first I saw just a cloud of smoke, then the flames started.”

Rumbaugh’s home sustained broken windows and other damage. The worst damage was in the den, where windows shattered and sprayed a carpet of glass throughout the room where Rumbaugh likes to have her morning coffee.

“Just a few more minutes,” she said, “and I would have been sitting in there, right in the middle of it.”