LONG BEACH, Calif. (KCAL/KCBS) – A California father is in the intensive care unit with serious burns after he survived an explosion that destroyed his family’s house. Fire officials say the explosion was likely caused by leaking natural gas.
When a family’s house exploded around 11 a.m. Monday in Long Beach, it sent debris flying all around the neighborhood. Video of the incident shows the home’s roof blow off.
Manny Fabrigas, a 52-year-old father, was inside at the time. He suffered serious burns to his arms and legs and remains hospitalized in the ICU.
His neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, says Fabrigas told her he’d turned on his clothes dryer and put something in the microwave before the home blew up. She also says she’d been smelling gas in the area since Saturday.
“It just smelled like a tank of gas,” the neighbor said. “So, we thought we might have left it on or something, but my dad checked the night before the explosion and it wasn’t that.”
Fire officials said Tuesday that the explosion was likely caused by leaking natural gas. Investigators are working to find the exact source of the leak.
Meanwhile, Fabrigas’ wife is raising money through GoFundMe to help with her husband’s medical expenses and for basic necessities, like clothes.
“Our dad is the most hardworking person we know. Since we were kids and ‘til this day, our dad has worked day and night to do his best to provide for his family,” said the family in a statement.
The Fabrigas’ home was an accessory dwelling unit, also known as a back house or granny flat. Officials have marked it as unsafe to enter. The adjacent main house also sustained significant damage to its exterior walls from the explosion.
In the wake of the incident, fire officials are reminding residents of the importance of “see something, say something.”
“If you smell something, reach out and report it. Let us come and investigate that. Let us come and do what we do, and that’s protect and provide service to the community,” said Long Beach Fire Capt. Jake Heflin.
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