2 Hurt as Gas Explosion Rips Through House

A 53-year-old woman was seriously injured Thursday in a natural-gas explosion that blew the roof off her Normal Heights home, San Diego Fire Department officials said. A man next door also was injured, but not seriously.

Barbara Martin was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center and treated for second- and third-degree burns on her face, neck, arms, hands and legs, said Laura Humphrey, a hospital spokeswoman. Martin’s condition was, at first, listed as critical but was upgraded to serious by Thursday night, Humphrey said.

The second person, Howard Sloan, 40, was listed in good condition Thursday night at Mercy Hospital. Sloan, an employee at a pest control company, was working in the apartment building next door before the blast knocked him to the floor. His injuries apparently resulted from the force of the explosion, said San Diego Fire Capt. Al MacDonald.

Before firefighters arrived at the scene in the 4400 block of Wilson Street, neighbors rushed to the two-bedroom home Martin shared with her son. Martin’s son was not home.

One neighbor, Neil Nordeck, 39, said he went inside and found Martin, dazed, in pain and propping herself up on a kitchen counter. He helped the woman to the street.

When firefighters arrived, they found furniture and clothing lying on the ground near the home, MacDonald said.

Damage to the home was estimated at more than $80,000, with an additional $7,000 damage to buildings next door, MacDonald said.

Both the Fire Department and San Diego Gas & Electric said the explosion was caused by natural gas but don’t know what touched it off. An investigation is continuing.