SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A woman suffered second- and third-degree burns on more than a third of her body Wednesday during an explosion at a home near Story Road and Hopkins Drive.
About 1:20 p.m., several people called 911 to report an explosion on the 1200 block of Fritzen Street.
When crews arrived, most of the second floor of the home was on fire so a second alarm was called. San Jose fire Capt. Reggie Williams said four people got out of the house before firefighters arrived, including the burned woman.
"Three escaped without injury, and the fourth suffered second- and third-degree burns over 36 percent of her body as she escaped," he said.
Williams said she was conscious and speaking when she was taken away in an ambulance, but had no further information about her condition.
He added that they were told as many as 10 people live in the large home, and firefighters went into the burning home to search for additional residents but found none.
The fire was brought under control at 2:31 p.m., Williams said. The Red Cross has been contacted to help the displaced residents.
Williams said the home suffered major damage, and a fire investigator was on scene. It appears to have started on the second floor, but no cause for the reported explosion was immediately known, he said.
Copyright 2012 - San Jose Mercury News
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
