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(Newser) – Two people was killed today when a gas explosion ripped through a building in South Los Angeles. What firefighters described as a violent natural gas explosion occurred at 6:15am at a 2-story building that houses a welding operation, causing the facade to collapse and starting a fire, NBC Los Angeles reports. One victim was killed by the initial blast, and another succumbed to injuries sustained when he accidental touched a 34,500-volt power line while trying to clear his truck from the wreckage.

"When firefighters arrived, one victim was pinned on his side underneath an axle of a car that was parked," a fire captain said. "The explosion was very intense. This is a very large commercial area. There was a furnacing operation here and a lot of industrial gasses here. We're not sure exactly what happened, but it was a major explosion."
(Read more Los Angeles stories.)