Witnesses described a chaotic scene in Chino Hills after an explosion tore apart a house and left debris scattered in the street of the San Bernardino County community.
Eight people were hospitalized after the blast reported Sunday that ignited a fire in the rubble. Details about their conditions were not available Monday.
Neighbor Alexis Yrigoyen was one of the first people at the scene.
“It was just car alarms, half the house was gone,” Yrigoyen said. “The fire hadn’t started yet, but people were already evacuating from the house. Crying, screaming, freaking out because there were still people inside. Just kind of chaos. Then, the fire started… It was pretty surreal.”
Yrigoyen, who lives across the street from the house, said her fiancé and other neighbors tried to help put out the fire
Monica Kelly lives a block away from the home and said she rushed to the location after hearing the blast.
“We pulled up and there were kids everywhere crying and screaming,” Kelly said. “I said, ‘What can I do.’ I said, ‘Put them in the car.’
“I drove as fast as I could with these kids. All their skin, hair everything was falling off like they were melting. They were crying and screaming and we prayed all the way there”
Sixteen families evacuated after the blast have since been allowed to return home.
At least one nearby home was damaged and deemed unsafe to enter.
Video captured the aftermath of the explosion. It showed twisted metal, a damaged wooden fence and other debris on Sierra Vista Drive. The blast shattered car and house windows.
Firefighters in Chino Hills did not say what caused the explosion Sunday, but said a gas leak had been stopped. Southern California Gas Company said it is working to assess possible utility damage.
Chino Hills is about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
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