San Pedro, CA – Firefighters said a gas leak led to an explosion that damaged a building in San Pedro about a block away from Averill Park on Sunday, April 28, but no injuries were reported.
Crews responded at 5:39 p.m. to reports of an explosion at a two-story duplex at 1385 W. 13th St., said Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
No structures were burning when firefighters arrived, but the blast shattered windows and knocked plaster and a stairway loose from a corner of the building, exposing the underlying wooden structure.
The sole occupant of the dwelling was unharmed, said Stewart.
Investigators attributed the explosion to a natural gas leak after detecting the presence of methane at the scene of the explosion. Methane is flammable and the primary ingredient of natural gas.