An explosion seriously injured one person and left an accessory dwelling unit in shambles Monday morning in Long Beach’s Upper Westside, authorities said.
Firefighters responding to reports of an explosion around 11 a.m. in the 2800 block of Gale Avenue found a back house on the property “completely destroyed,” said Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Brian Fisk. The explosion also caused “minor damage” to the front unit on the property, he said.
A fire official initially said the blast may have been related to a gas leak from an appliance on the property but cautioned that was not confirmed. The call originally reporting the explosion said it occurred after someone turned on a dryer. Fisk, however, said the cause is still under investigation.
Crews put out several small fires on the property and transported one person to a trauma center for treatment of burn injuries, Fisk said. The severity of those injuries was not disclosed.
Just over 1,900 customers were left without power in the area following the explosion, SoCal Edison spokesman David Eisenhauer said. As of 12:19 p.m., power had been restored to all customers.
Nechaka Robinson, who lives nearby, said she was at a laundromat a few blocks away on Willow Street and Easy Avenue when she heard the explosion.
Tracy Foster, who was visiting relatives in the area, said she was at an auto repair shop about a half mile away when the explosion caused her car to rock and a nearby boat to tilt.
