Muscoy Explosion Kills 1, Injures 2

On Nov. 19, firefighters responded to numerous reports of an ‘explosion in the area’ of Gray St. in Muscoy. Additional reports began filtering in that a house was damaged from an explosion and people were trapped. Upon arrival, bystanders flagged firefighters down and pointed them toward a home that was partially destroyed by the blast. When officials saw the incident, they called for assistance, including the department’s heavy rescue or USAR team. Upon arrival, firefighters from station 75 in Muscoy found a rear house with severe damage. One male adult was outside and suffering from severe burn injuries, while another adult female remained inside suffering from blunt force trauma and significant head injury. She was partially covered by debris and was rescued by the rescue team. Both victims were transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton with critical injuries. After further checking, another adult male was discovered and found to be deceased, trapped under several tons of debris. Firefighters worked for the next several hours removing debris, consisting of reinforced concrete and other material, along with the body of the deceased man. The burn injuries were incurred from the flash fire caused by the explosion. There was no fire to the structure. The blast was so significant that the freshly-paved road in the front of the surrounding homes buckled in several places. The home was of poor construction and had a small basement. This basement is where most of the damage occurred with the house collapsing into the area. County Fire Investigators and Sheriff Investigators determined that natural gas did not cause the explosion as originally thought. It was later determined the explosion was from illegal drug activity. No other homes had any damage and no evacuations were necessary as the surrounding area was deemed safe. The county fire department was assisted by the San Bernardino City Fire Department, American Medical Response and the gas company. County Fire reminds you to make sure your home is clearly marked with address numbers and visible from the street; assisting public safety in finding your location quickly during an emergency.