2 plumbers burned in gas explosion at Lake Elsinore stadium

Another Lake Elsinore Storm game will be postponed Saturday evening due to a natural gas explosion in the Class-A California League team’s clubhouse at Diamond Stadium that injured two plumbers installing a dryer.

The burst gas line caused a fire that was quickly doused by sprinklers inside the clubhouse, Maggie De La Rosa, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Fire Department, told the Los Angeles Times.

The blast occurred about 4:20 p.m. Friday, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

The agency said multiple engine crews and other units were sent to the stadium and found the two victims suffering from moderate burns to different parts of their bodies.

“Plumbers were installing a dryer in the locker room when an ignition occurred,” Southern California Gas Go. spokesman Ahmad Solomon wrote in an email to The Times.

Firefighters initially requested a helicopter to transport the patients but decided it would be faster to send them by ambulance to nearby Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment.

It was unclear whether the blast was a result of faulty equipment or a ruptured gas line.

“While no players were involved, our thoughts and prayers go out to the contracted workers who were injured,” according to a statement from the San Diego Padres, the Storm’s parent club. “We will be providing assistance to the Storm and those affected by the incident, and we will provide updates on their game schedule when appropriate.”

The postponements of Friday and Saturday’s games against the Inland Empire 66ers were announced on social media at 5:19 p.m. Friday.

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