Calabasas Home Rocked By Explosion, Fire After Neighbor's Car Hits Gas Meter
CALABASAS (CBSLA.com) — Officials say a neighbor's car accidentally slammed into a gas line outside a Calabasas home Friday afternoon causing a fire and explosion.
Authorities said a vehicle --rolling down a hill on its own -- crashed into a gas line around 3:30 p.m.
The home is located in the 23000 block of Park Contessa.
KCAL9's Juan Fernandez reported that a nanny and a 15-month-old boy were inside the home at the time of the explosion.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The fire department says the fire inside the two-story, five-bedroom house was knocked down in a about a half hour but the home was a total loss.
Stu Mundel, reporting in Sky9, referred to the neighborhood as "an exclusive part of Calabasas."
The blast obliterated the garage door -- large pieces of the door were found across the street.
Neighbors told Fernandez they heard the explosion from as far as a quarter of a mile away.
The family who lives in the house moved in recently. They have two small children.
The homeowner, who only wanted to be identified as Brandon, told Fernandez his neighbor's car was parked on the hill apparently without its parking brake on.
The car rolled down the hill, crashed into the garage and knocked the gas meter loose, triggering the explosion.
Brandon said the nanny heard the explosion and saw the car coming through the side wall.
"She smelled the gas and ran upstairs and grabbed the baby," Brandon said.
Despite the total loss of his home, Brandon was feeling upbeat.
"Glad that no one got hurt," he said.
"I thought an airplane had crashed into the house," said neighbor Madelyn Long, who lives across the street.
She said her home also sustained some damage from the explosion.
"The walls shook so badly," Long said.