Gas Blast Exploded L.A. Building, Killing 2,Caused By Tampered Gas Line…

An altered natural gas line was the cause of a deadly explosion , that rocked and brought down an industrial two-story building in a South Los Angeles welding shop early Friday, hurtling one victim to his death and electrocuting a second man on the street.

The explosion blew the roof off of the building,witnesses said.

Fragments of melting asphalt rooftop were sprayed across the street, and smashed floor tiles were hurled at least 50 feet from the metalworking business.

Building collapse as a fire man looks on...

One of the two victims died as he tried to move his stake-bed truck away from the building and was jolted by a downed 34,500-volt power line that had fallen on the vehicle, fire Capt. Stephen Ruda said.

A search-and-rescue team sent dogs into the debris to find a person they thought might be trapped.

Fire Captain Steve Ruda said the dogs did not detect anyone and that large equipment would soon be brought to the site to move the rubble and continue the search.(SOURCE)

The explosion was caused by tampering on a gas meter for the building.

So.Cal Gas company logo...

According to Denise King of the Southern California Gas Co., the utility had turned off the natural gas valve at the building Thursday, but someone illegally bypassed the shutoff valve along with a regulator that keeps the gas pressure down.

Bypassing the regulator could have caused the gas pressure to increase to unsafe levels in the building, King said.

David Ortiz of the city Fire Department said without a regulator, dangerous levels of gas were flowing into the building.

“When 45 pounds of gas is coming into a building this size that’s quite a bit of gas, and if it’s not regulated in a safe manner, that can be extremely dangerous,” Ortiz stated to the media.(SOURCE)

LA Firemen at the scene of the explosion

Authorities did not immediately release the names of the two men.

The business, J.L. Spray, has four employees and makes metal security fences, doors, windows and gates, said Elizabeth Alvarado, a secretary for the business. It is owned by Jaime Lara ,said Elizabeth Alvarado, manager of the firm.(SOURCE)

It is common for many people facing having their utilities cut-off due to non-payment of the bill to try to alter or tamper with the meters that regulate and safely deliver the power utility service.

This goes to demonstrate that the safety devices are there for a reason…to keep you and your family,friends,neighbors and employees safe.

The amount that they owed on their power bill pales in compare to the value of the two human lives that were lost in this explosion.

Unfortunetly, sometimes the bypassing causes a catastrophe, as is the case here at this Los Angeles welding shop. There have been three industrial accidents in the area in the last month, close to this same South Los Angeles neighborhood.

L.A. building destroyed by explosion...gas line tampered with.

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