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On
Sunday, May 20, 2001 at approximately 4:11pm, Santa Monica Police and
Fire responded to a call of an explosion at 510 24th
Street.
The
explosion occurred in the backyard of the residence in an underground
bomb shelter. The resident, a male, 85 years of age lives there with
his son. The resident built the shelter in the early 1960’s as a
result of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was a PHD and according to his
son loved to tinker in the shelter.
The
shelter is approximately 15 feet below ground and is described as
25’ long, 10’ wide and approximately 5-6’ in diameter. There is
an above ground propane tank that feeds a propane generator
underground. The explosion could be heard for several miles. It broke
windows at the residence as well as a house across the street. The
metal lid covering the entrance was blown off and found in the
backyard of a home three houses away from the explosion.
Fire
personnel found the victim inside the shelter and determined that he
was dead. Due to a high concentration of propane they had to evacuate
until the gas could dissipate. They then went back in to recover the
body. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Bomb Squad checked the shelter. The
Los Angeles County Coroner's Office arrived to take custody of the
remains. An investigation to determine the cause of the explosion is
underway. The preliminary assessment is that it was a propane
explosion. The Coroner's Office will determine the actual cause of
death. The victim’s name is being held pending notification of
relatives. He was a long time Santa Monica resident.
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