Blast Burns 2 Toddlers

An explosion so forceful that it shattered windows severely burned two toddlers in a family’s garage Monday morning.

The explosion apparently was caused when a water-heater flame ignited fumes from an open container of gasoline, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Scott Brown.

Tori Davis, 3, and Sean Davis, 2, suffered second- and third-degree burns on their feet and calves and were in stable condition at Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim.

Officials said they are not sure if the children were in the garage and inadvertently knocked over the uncapped gas can or if the flash fire occurred when they opened the garage door. Relatives said the children, who sleep in a room next to the garage, liked to jump on a beat-up mattress that the family kept in the garage.

The children’s aunt, who lives with the family, said the house on the 7000 block of El Monte Drive began to shake after the explosion at 8:13 a.m.

The aunt, Kelly Davis, said she initially thought it was an earthquake. Then she saw thick, black smoke rolling on the ceiling.

“We ran out of there pretty quick,” she said. “You just never think this is going to happen to your house.”

The explosion blew out two windows and bowed the aluminum garage door.

Neighbors said it shook them as well.

“I heard the boom and I thought somebody had rear-ended someone,” said neighbor Julie Williamson, who looked out her bedroom window to see smoke coming from the house across the street.

David Diaz, a park maintenance employee, was working across the street when he heard the explosion. He and two colleagues ran to the house to see if they could help evacuate the family, he said.

“Everyone was running out of the house, and the kids were crying,” Diaz said. “They were burned pretty bad on their legs.”

Within minutes, the entire family was out of the house, but Davis said they didn’t see the extent of the children’s injuries until they were safely in the park across the street.

“They were crying and a little red, but we thought the kids were fine,” she said.

The children’s grandmother, Cynthia Davis, who had left for work before the fire erupted, said her daughter Jaime Davis was racked with guilt over her children’s injuries.

“My daughter is blaming herself,” Davis said, because she had used the gas to fuel the lawn mower on Sunday and had returned it to the garage.

Brown said this incident proves the importance of keeping flammable materials away from open flames.

“The storage of gasoline in any form is hazardous,” Brown said. “That is why you want to use a safety container and make sure it is properly sealed and closed. It should be a reminder that whenever you store gasoline, it should be kept away from the ignition source.”

The children are expected to undergo skin grafts, Brown said. The three adults and one other child in the house at the time were not injured.

Officials said the fire caused an estimated $40,000 in damage.