Tampering With Gas Line Caused Blast, Officials Say

a spokesman for the Southern California Gas Company Rescue workers searched for a third man believed buried tihign beneath the charred rubble of the building, which is operated by JL Spray Powder Coating.

Dennis Lord, a spokesman for the Southern California Gas Company, said someone had “used a pipe around the meter and the regulator” to stop the regulation of gas pressure indoors.

“That resulted in this explosion,” he said.

Utility workers had disconnected the building’s gas supply this week because of overdue bills, Mr. Lord said.

The blast occurred about 6:15 a.m. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, Capt. Stephen Ruda, said it peeled back the roof and split apart large wood beams in the building frame. Pieces of facade and wood were tangled in power lines and suspended over the street.