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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.