Crews continue to investigate the cause of mysterious West Hills home explosion

Authorities on Thursday continued to investigate the cause of a West Hills explosion that destroyed a garage and damaged five homes.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s drug lab unit found “no criminal activity” at the site of the blast in the 7500 block of Sale Avenue, near Saticoy Street.

Officials with the Southern California Gas Co. said crews also have not detected any leaks on their equipment.

“Our crews responded, conducted tests and surveyed the surrounding area,” said spokeswoman Melissa Bailey.

The explosion on Wednesday afternoon was reported shortly after 3 p.m. No one was injured.

Residents interviewed by the Los Angeles Daily News said the sudden blast made ash rain from the sky for several minutes.

“There’s a lot of pieces of the house all over the neighborhood and a lot of shattered windows,” Kim Schumacher told the newspaper.

An aerial photograph showed the backyard of the home, including a pool, covered in splintered wood and other debris.

Arson investigators responded while firefighters ensured that utilities were secured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

As a precaution, gas service has been temporarily shut off at several homes and three houses have been red-tagged as unsafe to enter.

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATBermudez