2 Painters Injured as Explosion Leaves La Jolla House in Ruins

An explosion and flash fire at a La Jolla home rocked the quiet residential area early Sunday, injuring two house painters--one seriously--and leaving the house in ruins.

The explosion--which witnesses said sounded like an earthquake--was believed to have been ignited when lacquer fumes reached the pilot light of a gas water heater inside the home, according to Larry Stewart, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire Department.

When the blast occurred at about 10 a.m., Stewart said, the only occupants of the one-story, single-family home at 1314 Cottontail Lane were four house painters. The painters had just finished lacquering some kitchen cabinets when fumes apparently drifted to the water heater in the garage, the spokesman explained.

One painter, Tom Rogers, was in fair condition at UC San Diego Medical Center with burns on both arms, officials said.

Another painter, John Glover, had his facial hair singed but declined treatment.

So strong was the explosion that some of the house’s walls were blown down, officials said. It took 25 firefighters 20 minutes to control the fire that followed the explosion. Damage was said to be at least $160,000.