An explosion that shook a Turlock neighborhood Friday evening set one house ablaze and left one man with serious burn injuries, the Turlock Fire Department reported.
Neighbors around the 200 block of Angelus Street reported feeling tremors from an explosion just before 6 p.m. and then seeing the flames shoot up around the home.
The first firefighters to arrive at the scene found the home largely collapsed and completely engulfed in flames, said Turlock Fire spokesman Capt. Kevin Tidwell.
One man was found at the scene who had sustained serious burn injuries. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment. A relative of the man posted on Facebook that he is expected to recover from his injuries.
The flames from the fire were threatening to spread to the adjacent residences on either side, so firefighters had to make a rapid response.
“Firefighters deployed large diameter hose lines to bring the fire under control from multiple locations around the burning residence and also secured an open gas line that was free burning,” Tidwell said.
“Firefighters’ aggressive actions confined the fire to the structure of origin reducing dollar loss and saving nearby buildings,” said Turlock Fire Chief Robert Talloni.
Turlock Fire Department responded to the incident with three engines, Squad 32, one Battalion Chief, one Division Chief, the Fire Marshal, and the Chief of the Department for a total of 18 personnel. The Ceres Fire Department responded to the incident with one engine as part of a resource sharing agreement. Modesto Fire Department Chief 2 and Turlock Rural Fire District provided city coverage during the duration of the incident. American Medical Response, Turlock Irrigation District, and Pacific Gas and Electric all responded to the fire as well.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation in cooperation with the Turlock Police Department. Any information regarding the investigation should be directed to Fire Marshal Mark Gomez at 209 669-2119 or mgomez@turlock.ca.us.