Woman Dies After Explosion, Fire In Long Beach Apartment
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) — An explosion and a fire that broke out in a Long Beach apartment that killed a woman in her 60s may have been caused by an oxygen tank.
The explosion was heard by residents in the Belmont Shore area at about 11:30 p.m. Monday. The woman was trapped and had to be rescued by firefighters, but her husband was able to get out of the apartment.
The woman, believed to be in her 60s, died at a hospital. Her husband was loaded into an ambulance in moderate condition and he is expected to be OK.
Long Beach Fire officials confirms they received several calls about an explosion before the fire broke out.
"I'm assuming it is the oxygen tank that she had and she was a smoker," neighbor Amanda Potier said.
A cat was also found dead inside the apartment. No other injuries were reported.
The fire left the exterior of the apartment black, but the extent of the damage was not yet known. Two neighboring units sustained water damage from the firefight.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.