Santa Barbara, CA Apartment Explosion, Dec 1945

SANTA BARBARA BLAST KILLS 5.

APARTMENT BUILDING WRECKED; EXPLOSION ROCKS CITY; FIVE HURT.

Santa Barbara, Dec. 26 -- (AP) -- Five persons were killed and five were injured, none seriously, in an unexplained explosion which destroyed a warehouse - apartment building here early today.
Five bodies were recovered from the ruins. They were identified tentatively as MR. and MRS. JOHN JOHNSON; CAROLINE SUE STOVALL, 10-years-old; MRS. FRANCES WATSON McCLAM, 26, and her sister, MISS MILDRED WATSON, 21, of Huntington Park.
The two latter had been visiting their mother at 3805 Broadway, Huntington Park, and left there Tuesday afternoon. Their automobile was found wrecked on the street near the destroyed building.
The STOVALL child's mother, MRS. JACQUELINE STOVALL, was among the injured. Her father, a Marine, was unhurt.
First theory that the building was destroyed by a butane gas tank explosion was discarded. Fire Chief C. L. Tenney said, when the tank was found intact. He added it was believed accumulated heating gas from a leaking pipe may have been exploded by the exhaust from a truck.
ANTHONY BERTA, a truck driver who was among the injured, said the explosion occurred when he stepped on the starter of his machine.
Others injured were MR. and MRS. GEORGE COJOZART and MRS. LENA HUBBS, all among the 20 residents of the apartments on the upper floor of the two-story building.
The explosion occurred at 5:40 a.m. at 38 Cora Street.
All available fire equipment fought the blaze and had it under control within a half hour. Police regulars and reserves were called out to patrol adjacent blocks where the force of the explosion had shattered virtually every window.

Oakland Tribune California 1945-12-26
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!