San Diego

2 Injured After Gas Line Explosion Inside Azalea Park Home: SDFD

The impact of the explosion lifted the roof off the foundation, fire officials said.

Two people were injured Monday when a gas line exploded, lifting the roof and blowing out the windows of a San Diego-area home.

San Diego Fire-Rescue (SDFD) investigators say the blast was not drug-related but a home improvement project that went terribly wrong.

A resident first called 911 at 2:54 p.m. to report an explosion coming from a house on Poplar Street near Snowdrop Street, according to SDFD's Lee Swanson. The home is just east of Interstate 15 and Interstate 805 in the  Azalea Park neighborhood. 

A man was working on a gas line inside the home when the explosion occured, officials said. It is unclear what exactly the man was doing when he was working on the gas line. Crews have since secured the gas lines inside and outside the home. 

A neighbor told NBC 7 that the explosion sound like a crash.

"She heard the windows just break," said Salvador Sanchez, translating for his mother who is a neighbor to the family. 

The explosion prompted a fire that left two to three bedrooms, the roof and attic space destroyed. The explosion also blew out windows and lifted the roof off the foundation, prompting structural engineers to come inspect the home. 

The man working on the gas line was able to get out, but suffered second or third degree burns, fire officials said. He was taken to the UC San Diego Medical Center's Burn Center.

A second family member, who was down the street when crews arrived, suffered unknown injuries as a result of the explosion and was also taken to UC San Diego Medical Center.  Neighbors described the woman as the man's mother-in-law.

Salvador Sanchez said his mother saw the man walk away from the home in shock. The man apparently didn't want to leave the house until police came, Sanchez said.

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