By Khalida Sarwari
An explosion that injured four men at a home in rural Santa Clara County on Sunday was caused by a mix-up between cooking oil and kerosene, a Cal Fire battalion chief said today.
The explosion was reported at about 11:35 a.m. at a small home on a ranch at 38763 San Antonio Road, about eight miles east of the Lick Observatory.
Four men were injured, Capt. Jerry Agenbroad said. One man suffered burns on 30 percent of his body, and another man was burned on 50 percent of his body.
A third man was also hurt in the explosion, and the fourth suffered a shoulder injury shortly afterward, Battalion Chief Jim Crawford said.
He said the explosion occurred when one of the men mistakenly poured kerosene from an unmarked container into a cooking pan on a stove. The men managed to extinguish the fire before Cal Fire responded, he said.
Three of the men were airlifted to the burn center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, and the fourth was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
The explosion caused minimal damage to the home.