Neighbor says she reported gas odor hours before deadly Twentynine Palms explosion

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA (KESQ) — A neighbor says she reported a strong natural gas odor to SoCalGas hours before a home in Twentynine Palms exploded Friday night, raising new questions as investigators work to determine what caused the deadly blast.

The explosion happened Friday, Aug. 21, in the 6400 block of Ocotillo Avenue. San Bernardino County firefighters said three adults and a dog were inside the home when the explosion occurred. One person was killed, while two others were hospitalized with injuries.

A neighbor who lives near the home told News Channel Three that she first noticed the smell Friday morning.

“It was that Friday morning at about 9:30 in the morning. I was outside in my backyard with my friend, and we smelled gas — real strong waves of the gas,” she said.

She said she then made an emergency call to the gas company to report the odor. According to the neighbor, a SoCalGas worker responded to the area.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.

The neighbor, Christy Turley, told News Channel Three she has lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years and had never experienced an odor like that before.

Turley said the SoCalGas worker walked through her backyard and told her the odor was coming from the sewer.

“A lady came out and she walked in the backyard. She said, ‘That’s sewer.’ I told her, ‘No, that’s not sewer,’” Turley said.

Turley said the worker then left and she did not receive any additional information about what had been found.

“She never came back. She never let us know we were okay and we were safe. So we just assumed that we were,” Turley said.

Hours later, Turley was inside her home when the explosion happened.

She said the force of the blast was so strong that she initially thought something had happened at the nearby Marine Corps base or that the area was experiencing an earthquake.

“It hit so hard, so loud. I thought that the base had been bombed or something bad like that, and everything shook, and I thought maybe it was an earthquake,” Turley said.

When the shaking stopped, Turley said she ran outside and saw flames surrounding the area.

She grabbed a water hose and brought it toward a neighbor who then used it to help keep her home from catching fire.

Turley said residents across the neighborhood quickly began helping one another. Parents rushed to get children away from the flames, while others grabbed hoses and jumped fences in an effort to keep the fire from spreading.

“Everybody, like all the parents, were getting their children out. Some of them had no shoes on,” Turley said. “The rest stayed behind. They were jumping the fences here and everything, trying to get over there to the fire.”

As the scene grew more intense, Turley said she eventually decided she needed to leave the area.

“People were yelling and screaming and on their roofs with their water hoses,” she said. “It was pretty terrifying. So I just grabbed what I could, and I left.”

Turley said the experience has continued to affect her days later.

“This has all really traumatized me. I’m afraid to be in my house for very long. I feel like I need to go outside and make sure nothing’s happening,” she said.

She said neighbors are now discussing holding their own fire evacuation drills so families know how to get out safely if another emergency occurs.

News Channel Three reached out to SoCalGas for more information about Turley’s call and what its worker found during the response Friday morning.

In a late evening statement on Monday, SoCalGas said it was notified of a reported explosion at approximately 8:46 p.m. Friday at a residence in the 6400 block of Ocotillo Avenue.

The utility said crews responded to assess any damage to natural gas infrastructure and make related conditions safe for the neighborhood and first responders.

SoCalGas said the San Bernardino County Fire Department is investigating the cause of the incident. The company also said it is conducting its own investigation.

The statement did not provide additional details about Turley’s reported call earlier that morning or what the worker who responded to her home found.

SoCalGas is asking customers who experience a service disruption or suspect a natural gas leak to call 1-800-427-2200.

News Channel Three will continue following the investigation and provide updates as more information becomes available.