Two men were injured, one seriously, in an electrical explosion on Ocean Ave. on June 10.
According to the Santa Monica Fire Department, firefighters responded to a report of an explosion at 1725 Ocean Ave. at about 11:48 a.m. Deputy Chief Tom Clemo said firefighters were on scene within three minutes of dispatch and found two contractors with electrical burns in the basement of the building.
"They were down in the basement, working in an electrical room and created some kind of explosion," he said.
One man was taken to UCLA Westwood with critical burns over 40 percent of his body, while the second male patient was taken to Santa Monica Hospital with moderate burns.
Clemo said the explosion temporarily knocked out power to the mixed-use building but that Southern California Edison (SCE) crews were able to restore power quickly. He said the building has five floors of residential units above one floor of commercial space and that the contractors were working on a project on behalf of a commercial tenant.
Residents were kept out of the building while firefighters conducted a search of the area, ventilated the structure and checked for safety with SCE. The cause of the explosion and injuries are under investigation by members of SCE as well as California OSHA.
matt@www.smdp.com
