Gas Explosion Levels California Home, One Fatality And 15 Injured

A utility worker was killed and 15 other people were injured on Monday when a ruptured gas line triggered an explosion that leveled a house and shattered windows in nearby homes in the Southern California town of Murrieta, authorities said.

The blast sent flames shooting some 30 feet (9 meters) into the air, and, according to media reports, rocked the surrounding Riverside County neighborhood with such force that some residents initially mistook it for an earthquake.

The gas rupture was believed to have been caused by a contractor digging at the home without first calling to have underground utility lines marked, as required by law, according to the Southern California Gas company.