Man Critically Hurt In East Oakland Gas Explosion
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) -- A man was critically burned Monday night in a natural gas explosion at a duplex in East Oakland, a fire battalion chief said.
The 61-year-old victim is being treated for burns covering 80 percent of his body after the building, located at 87th Avenue and Dowling Street, was rocked just after 8 p.m., Battalion Chief Melinda Drayton said.
Witnesses say the man was on fire when he emerged from his house. Neighbors doused the flames and provided first aid until help arrived.
KCBS' Holly Quan Reports:
A spokeswoman for PG&E said the company's gas inspectors don't believe the explosion was caused by a leak in their equipment.
The explosion appears to have originated inside the home, where gas lines and appliances are the responsibility of the owners, spokeswoman Jana Morris said.
The impact caused the second story of the building to collapse and shattered the windows of a neighboring property, according to Drayton.
Firefighters originally responded to reports of a structure fire and arrived on scene at 8:04 p.m., Drayton said.
She said they were told three people were trapped in the building, which turned out to be false. Firefighters instead found one occupant in front of the home who had been badly burned and was being treated by neighbors.
The man was taken to Highland Hospital, where he was in critical condition Monday night, Drayton said.
Drayton said the injured man owned the duplex, lived on the first floor and was having the second floor renovated.
Next door, three adults and one child were displaced because there was so much broken glass and debris, Drayton said. Their building does not appear to have suffered any structural damage, though.
About 25 personnel responded to the fire, which was controlled around 8:20 p.m., Drayton said. No other injuries were reported.
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