CAMARILLO : Explosion Burns 3 Utility Workers

Three Gas Co. employees were burned Wednesday when the gas line they were replacing in a Camarillo residential neighborhood exploded, fire officials said.

Dave Schrader of Newbury Park, and Dan Neubauer and Chris Mallory, both of Simi Valley, suffered first- and second-degree burns as a result of the blast, which occurred about 3:10 p.m.

All three were treated and released from Pleasant Valley Hospital, a nursing supervisor said.

The workers were connecting a new two-inch-wide plastic gas line near Lucero Street in Camarillo when the line exploded, fire and Gas Co. officials said.

Gas Co. officials said they are investigating what triggered the explosion.

The men were working in a three-foot-deep hole in the street and bent over the pipe when it blew open, authorities said. All three suffered burns to their arms, fire officials said.

One of the men radioed for help after the explosion, and two Gas Co. crews working in the area arrived within minutes to shut off the gas line.

A concentrated flame from the blast rose about 20 feet in the air, fire officials said. The fire charred a neighbor’s fence, but caused no other damage. Gas service to residents in the area was not affected, authorities said.