SACRAMENTO, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate an explosion that killed one man and destroyed a house in Sacramento, officials said.
The Wednesday morning blast killed Wilbert Paana, 72, and left five people injured, two of them critically, The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday.
Pacific Gas and Electric crews had been called in to search for the source of a natural gas leak Wednesday morning, after residents called beginning Tuesday night to complain about the odor of gas in the area. A PG&E spokesman said the crews could not shut off gas in an isolated area until they determined the exact location of the leak.
Paana and two other victims of the explosion were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with third-degree burns. Paana died Wednesday night.
Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Christian Pebbles said the explosion apparently was fueled by natural gas, but investigators were unsure what ignited it, the newspaper said.
Authorities returned to the area Thursday after getting new reports of a strong odor of gas, but a brief inspection concluded that the source of the odor was a leaking propane tank, the Bee reported.
The NSTB is taking over the investigation because the gas pipelines run beneath the streets, PG&E said.
