Pot grow found in house that exploded, igniting ‘pandemonium,’ California officials say

When a house on his street blew up Sunday night, neighbor Jesse Castro had no clue.

“I was just sitting there watching TV, my wife was outside on the patio, and it all happened so fast,” he told KABC. “First I thought it was an earthquake, but then all my windows in my house blew out.”

He told people to stay away from the house in Valley Glen near North Hollywood, California, but they dashed inside anyway, searching for loved ones, Castro told the station.

“People were crying, their dogs were running around the neighborhood,” Castro told KABC. “I mean, it was pandemonium.”

Three of the seven people inside the home in the 12700 block of West Archwood Street were injured in the blast at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A 59-year-old man in the home suffered critical burn injuries, KNBC reported.

A 46-year-old man who dug out of the debris was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries and another man declined treatment for minor injuries, according to the station.

The cause of the explosion, which severely damaged the home and leveled the garage, remains under investigation, firefighters told the Los Angeles Daily News.

Firefighters stopped a gas leak after the blast, but have ruled it out as a cause of the explosion, according to the publication.

The home was marked unsafe for occupancy, and 13 surrounding homes were evacuated, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. Seven homes were damaged by the blast.

The home’s roof was found on a front yard two houses down, KABC reported.

Investigators found evidence of a marijuana grow in the garage but do not know if it is connected to the blast, KNBC reported.

This story was originally published April 12, 2021 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Pot grow found in house that exploded, igniting ‘pandemonium,’ California officials say."