2 Hurt in Fire During House Renovation

SANTA ANA —  Two men received burns Sunday when a house they were renovating exploded into flames, a fire official said.

Richard Macias, 25, and Edward Santos, 24, were removing the kitchen flooring, possibly with the aid of a flammable liquid, when the explosion occurred, the fire official said.

Fire officials responded to the fire in the 2000 block of South Flower Street at 10:13 a.m. Sunday.

When they arrived, “everyone was outside and the fire was fully involved,” said Santa Ana Battalion Chief Bill Zastrow.

Macias was sprawled under a canopy in a neighbor’s yard and was treated by fire officials, he said. Both men were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Macias received burns to both his hands and face, Zastrow said. He was admitted to the hospital’s burn unit and is listed in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. Santos, who received burns to the right hand and arm, was treated and released.

Antonieta Reyes, 38, said her family had bought the house six months ago.

Reyes rescued two of her five children from the fire. The other three were playing and doing homework outside. The children range in age from 1 to 16 years.

“I thought something would be left,” Reyes said after a firefighter passed her a square case, a colorful child’s pail, a red toy truck and several blankets through a broken side living room window after the fire was put out.

“It’s dark in there. Nothing’s left,” she said. “We’re thankful to God he let us live.”

Damages were estimated to be $80,000 to the structure and $20,000 to the contents of the house, Zastrow said.