A gas leak inside a kitchen wall triggered an explosion that left two people with second-degree burns at a home in the Punta Bandera subdivision of Tijuana on Wednesday afternoon, July 1.
The blast occurred around 4 p.m. at a residence on Circuito Real Mediterráneo, located along the Scenic Highway (Carretera Escénica) heading toward Ensenada. A 46-year-old woman attempted to light the stove, igniting gas that had built up from a leak in the kitchen’s wall piping. Flames engulfed both the woman and a 51-year-old man inside the home.
Victims Fled With Clothing on Fire
Both victims ran from the house with their clothing and hair burning, according to a preliminary fire department report. Neighbors called emergency services after seeing the couple escape. Municipal Police, the Tijuana Fire Department, and the Red Cross responded to the scene.
The man and woman suffered second-degree burns to the face, arms, feet, back, neck, and abdomen. Paramedics treated them on site before transferring them to a private hospital. Their names have not been released.
Blast Shattered Glass Door, Punched Hole in Wall
The explosion was powerful enough to shatter a glass door and blow a hole through one of the home’s walls. Fire officials attributed the blast to a buildup of liquefied petroleum gas from a leak in the piping embedded in the kitchen wall.
Punta Bandera sits south of Playas de Tijuana, an area popular with American expats and cross-border commuters who rent or own homes along the coastal corridor between Tijuana and Ensenada. Most residential properties in the region rely on LP gas delivered by truck and stored in stationary tanks, with copper or flexible piping running through walls to kitchen appliances.
Gas explosions have been a recurring problem across Tijuana. In October 2023, a suspected gas leak destroyed a house in the Las Cumbres neighborhood and killed two people. In April 2022, a gas blast at an apartment building on Ángela Peralta Street killed one woman and left two others with severe burns. Routine inspection of gas lines, connections, and regulators can detect leaks before gas accumulates to dangerous levels.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte on July 1.