Possible Gas Explosion Destroys San Clemente Home

SAN CLEMENTE (CBSLA.com) — An explosive fire destroyed a San Clemente home early Thursday, but the residents managed to get out unscathed.

Explosions were heard at about 3 a.m. at the home in the 100 block of Avenida Dolores. A neighbor who identified himself as Scott said he was awakened by noises that sounded like gunshots, and began recording what he saw.

"The explosions kept happening. It was crazy -- I thought the truck was exploding," he said.

"I thought maybe a bomb went off," neighbor Carice Blazo said. "I didn't know what it was."

The couple who lived at the house – who were awake because they had been preparing to leave for a trip – was able to leave the house with their two dogs.

The blaze spread to a neighbor, but was knocked down a little more than an hour later by 30 firefighters.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the couple said they had been doing construction for the past couple of weeks on a retaining wall and may have come too close to a high-pressure gas line.

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said a ruptured gas line was discovered and authorities were working to shut the gas off.

One of the dogs that had escaped the fire – Coco – got away from its owners and is loose in the neighborhood.