Calif. Man Critically Injured in Home Explosion

-- Nov. 26--EL SERENO, Calif. -- A man was critically injured early Saturday morning when an explosion rocked his home. The Los Angeles Fire Department received a report of the explosion just after 2:05 a.m. and rushed to the home at 2990 Lowell Ave. They found the windows blown out and debris scattered all around the one-story home. "I heard a boom and I thought 'no, not an earthquake,'" neighbor Josie Chapino told KTLA. "Then I heard another boom and I jumped."

Source KTLA-TV, Los Angeles

Nov. 28, 2011

Nov. 26--EL SERENO, Calif. -- A man was critically injured early Saturday morning when an explosion rocked his home.

The Los Angeles Fire Department received a report of the explosion just after 2:05 a.m. and rushed to the home at 2990 Lowell Ave. They found the windows blown out and debris scattered all around the one-story home.

"I heard a boom and I thought 'no, not an earthquake,'" neighbor Josie Chapino told KTLA. "Then I heard another boom and I jumped."

The explosion was so powerful, it sent debris across the street.

Family members say the man was trying to light a pilot and the explosion was accidental.

Firefighters searched the home and found the 29-year-old homeowner who suffered second and third-degree burns to more than 35 percent of his body, according to LAFD officials. Paramedics rushed the man to USC Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.

A woman and girl were also found inside the home, both uninjured.