BAKERSFIELD, Calif.
--
A woman was severely burned after an explosion in her house that was so strong it blew the roof off its joists Tuesday afternoon, firefighters said.
The explosion happen on 30th Street just after 3:30 p.m.
The police department said the woman who lived at the home was in the process of moving out, and came back Tuesday afternoon to collect some pots and pans from the kitchen. She told arson investigators she saw some of her things were missing, including her appliances.
"When she realized she was the apparant victim of a burglary, she lit up a cigarette," said Sgt. Mary DeGeare. "The apparent removal of the property resulted in the apparent rupture or a gas line being left open, and when she lit up the cigarette, the interior of the house exploded."
The woman was taken away in an ambulance just minutes after the explosion, said Ken Wiggins, a battalion chief with the Bakersfield Fire Department.
Neighbors said the explosion was so loud that it rattled their windows and had them ducking for cover.
"It just sounded like a big explosion," Jose Hernandez said, "Like something was coming into our house!"
Wiggins said the house had been filling with gas for some time. And when the woman walked in -- and lighted a cigarette -- it caused a massive explosion.
Wiggins said the explosion was so severe that it lifted the roof off the ceiling joists and the kitchen window was completely blown out of the house.
Investigators said they don't know what caused the gas leak, but they are trying to figure out what happened and to see if the house is salvageable.
Do you have more information about this story? Contact usReport a typo or inaccuracyCopyright 2011 by TurnTo23.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or red
