Tijuana Gas Explosion Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Hurt

TIJUANA â€”  At least one person was killed and two others were injured after a natural gas line rupture near downtown earcaused an explosion early Sunday that was felt throughout the city and ignited a fierce three-alarm fire, authorities said.

The blast and ensuing fire destroyed at least one house and seriously damaged several other homes and businesses. A number of cars were also damaged or destroyed by the explosion, fire and falling debris.

The explosion occurred in an alley off Calle Ocampo near 9th Street, authorities said.

It was unclear if any more than one person died in the mishap. The district attorney’s office, which is investigating the incident, said there had been only one fatality, but Capt. Jose Zavala of the municipal police here said there may have been two.

The explosion, which occurred at 12:45 a.m., sent a shock wave throughout the city and shook buildings and shattered dozens of windows in the downtown area. The blast was felt and heard several miles away.

“It sounded like an earthquake,� said one woman in a comment echoed by other residents.

Dozens of residents were evacuated from nearby homes because authorities feared additional explosions. As the fire raged, scores of people, many dressed in robes and night clothes, stood out on nearby glass-strewn streets talking about the explosion and watching firefighters, while acrid smoke billowed overhead.

Feeding the fire was a ruptured gas line, which hissed and spouted flames 20 feet into the air as firemen applied water. Authorities were unable to turn off the gas flow for more than an hour after the explosion.

The blast reduced one house to a pile consisting of shards of wood, glass and other rubble.

Although the fire was originally thought to have been caused by a ruptured gas tank, authorities later determined that it was a gas line that ruptured, said Capt. Arturo Lopez of the Tijuana police, who was one of the first at the scene.