‘It was a pandemonium’: Neighbor describes the aftermath of the Valley Glen house explosion captured on camera

VALLEY GLEN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) – An explosion possibly caused by a gas leak in a house in Valley Glen – injuring two people, including one seriously – sparked a chaotic scene throughout the neighborhood as residents’ homes were shaken by the explosion.

A neighbor’s CCTV camera captured the blast from the blast, which residents described as an exploding bomb. The video shows the explosion briefly illuminating the street on Sunday evening and shaking the area, setting off car alarms.

Neighbor Jesse Castro says the terrifying explosion caused panic among residents.

“I was just sitting there watching TV, my wife was out on the patio, and it all happened so fast,” he said. “It felt like a – at first I thought it was an earthquake, but then all my windows in my house blew out. I looked out, I heard people screaming. I said to everyone, ‘You better get away from the house “But there were people trying to get the other people in. People were crying, their dogs were running around the neighborhood. I mean, it was a pandemonium.”

Debris still covered many areas of the street Monday morning as authorities continued to investigate the cause of the explosion reported in block 12700 of West Archwood Street just before 9:30 PM.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said there were no active flames when firefighters arrived at the single-story single-family home. The roof of the house was found on a lawn two doors down and the explosion leveled the garage.

Seven people were at home at the time, including three children, but only two adults were seriously injured.

A man of around 59 years old was taken to a local hospital with severe burns. A second man, about 46 years old, was pulled from a pile of shoulder-deep rubble and spoke to firefighters on the spot. He was then transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Another man sustained minor injuries and refused to go to hospital. A woman of about 65 years old and the three children in the house were not injured.

A woman who lives in a nearby house was also assessed for injuries and refused to go to the hospital.

The fire department says firefighters detected gas in the air and were able to secure the leak. The gas company also offered help.

A witness driving past the area recalled hearing the explosion.

“We were in the car a few blocks away and we just heard a big, loud explosion,” she said. “I thought it was fireworks or a gunshot.”

She drove closer and came across an astonishing scene.

“We saw the whole ceiling blow away and it smelled like gas,” she said. ‘I thought it was a gas leak. The firefighters got here quickly. ‘