“It was pandemonium”: a neighbor describes the aftermath of the Valley Glen house explosion that was captured on camera

VALLEY GLEN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) – An explosion possibly caused by a gas leak in a Valley Glen home that left two people injured, including one critically ill, caused a chaotic scene throughout the neighborhood as homes in the Valley. residents were shaken by the explosion.

A neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the blast blast, which residents described as a bomb exploding. The video shows the explosion briefly illuminating the street Sunday night and shaking the area, sounding car alarms.

Neighbor Jesse Castro says the terrifying blast caused residents to panic.

“I was just sitting there watching TV, my wife was in the yard and it all happened so fast,” he said. “It seemed like one to me: at first I thought it was an earthquake, but then all the windows in my house exploded. I looked outside, I heard people shouting. I said to everyone, ‘You better get away from home, but there were people trying to get the rest of the people into the house. People were crying, their dogs were running around the neighborhood. I mean, it was a pandemonium. “

The wreckage still covered many parts of the street Monday morning, while authorities continued to investigate the cause of the blast that was reported just before 9:30 p.m. at block 12700 West Archwood Street.

Los Angeles firefighters said there were no active flames when firefighters arrived at the one-story single-family home. The roof of the house was found on a lawn two doors down and the explosion leveled the garage.

There were then seven people in the home, including three children, but only two adults suffered major injuries.

A 59-year-old man was taken to a local hospital with serious burn injuries. A second man, about 46 years old, was ripped from a pile of rubbish to the shoulder and was talking to local firefighters. He was then taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Another man suffered minor injuries and declined to go to the hospital. A woman, about 65, and the three children in the home were not injured.

A woman living in a nearby house was also assessed for injuries and refused to go to the hospital.

The fire department says firefighters detected gas in the air and were able to secure the leak. The gas company also provided assistance.

A witness driving through the area recalled hearing the blast.

“We were in the car a few streets down and we just heard this big, loud explosion,” he said. “I thought it was a firework or a shot.”

He got closer and came to an impressive scene.

“We saw the whole roof explode and it smelled of gas,” he said. “I thought it was a gas leak. Firefighters got here quickly.”