COLEVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A propane-related explosion tore through a residence in a housing unit serving a U.S. Marine Corps training base in northern California, killing one person and injuring two others, an official said Saturday.
The blast around 9 p.m. PST Friday in Coleville also damaged nearby structures and displaced 14 families, Marine spokesman Nicholas Mannweiler said.
The privatized military housing area in Colville is about 30 miles from the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, where the Marines train for mountain operations.
Mannweiler, the public affairs director for the base, said the two injured were rushed to area hospitals suffering from burns and shock. He did not have further details. Some others had superficial cuts and bruises.
He said "two separate families were impacted" by the blast, but he did not disclose any other information on the identities of the casualties. Officials had said earlier said up to five people had been injured.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation but Mannweiler said it was related to the housing unit's propane distribution system, and was not associated with activities at the Marine base.
He said the displaced families are staying with friends or at other homes in the off-base unit, made up of duplexes and stand-alone residences.
The base fire department and Antelope Valley volunteer fire department responded to the initial call, along with the California Highway Patrol.
Located in located in the Sierra Nevada mountains near the Nevada border, the Mountain Warfare Training Center is one of the Marine's most remote posts. The base conducts unit and individual training for action in mountainous, high altitude, and cold weather areas.