A massive explosion that destroyed a home in Chino Hills over the weekend was sparked by someone turning on a lamp while the house was filled with gas, according to a neighbor.
On Sunday at around 3:44 p.m., the Chino Valley Fire District responded to an explosion in the 4200 block of Sierra Vista Drive in Chino Hills, according to a Fire District news release. The home exploded because of a gas leak, but the source of the leak was not found, officials said.
According to a GoFundMe fundraiser reportedly started by a neighbor, the family had “just returned home and one of the children turned on a lamp,” sparking the blast. The explosion “blew out windows and launched the home’s garage door across the street into a neighbor’s yard,” according to the neighbor.
Firefighters arrived to find a home in shambles, with walls collapsed, windows blown out and parts still aflame. Five neighboring homes were damaged and eight people were taken to the hospital with injuries, officials said.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, nine people were inside the house, including six children between 6 and 15 years old.
About 16 neighboring homes were temporarily evacuated while SoCalGas shut down gas to the area, according to the Fire District. The gas leak was stopped at 10:45 p.m. and residents were allowed to return to their homes 15 minutes later.
Sierra Vista Drive was closed for about seven hours between Del Norte and Descanso avenues while officials responded to the incident, according to the release.
Several of the victims have second- and third-degree burns and at least two people have been intubated, according to the GoFundMe.
The GoFundMe will raise funds to help the family to find a new home and house their pets, according to the website.
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