Man inside exploding Long Beach ADU is suffering from severe burns

A man who was severely injured when an accessory dwelling unit exploded in Long Beach was fighting for his life Tuesday with severe burns.

The explosion occurred around 11 a.m. Monday on the 2800 block of Gale Avenue, according to the Long Beach police and fire departments. The blast destroyed the accessory unit behind the main property, while the main building sustained “minor structural damage,” according to the Long Beach Fire Department.

Fire officials said a man in his late 30s was found in the wreckage of the destroyed back house and taken to a trauma center with burn injuries.

The man was identified by his wife as Manny Fabrigas. On a GoFundMe page, his wife Sheila wrote that her husband had taken Monday off from work to recover from a father-daughter cycling marathon he had taken part in the day before.

“What should have been a quiet day of recovery turned into a nightmare when a sudden explosion shook our home,” she wrote. “The cause is still under investigation, but the consequences were immediate and devastating.”

She wrote that some neighbors heard the explosion and they “rushed in and bravely pulled my husband from the flames before the fire grew uncontrollable.”

“My husband suffered severe second- and third-degree burns across much of his body,” Sheila Fabrigas wrote. “He is currently in the ICU, fighting to heal. Our family, however, has lost everything. Our home, a symbol of years of hard work and sacrifice, is gone. As Filipino immigrants, we worked tirelessly to build a life and create a home where our family could thrive. After only a year of enjoying our dream home, it was cruelly taken away in an instant.”

According to the Long Beach Fire Department, the ADU was a “permitted” structure in the rear of the main house.

The main house was “yellow-tagged,” meaning it can only be entered for residents to retrieve items from inside. Fire officials said two adults and one minor live in the main home, and the Red Cross was called to assist them while they are displaced from their home, in addition to assisting the family that lived in the destroyed ADU.

A neighboring home also sustained some minor damage, according to LBPD.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but LBPD officials said all utilities in the area have been secured, and “there is no threat or risk to the neighborhood or surrounding homes.”

Around 1,900 utility customers were left without power in the area following the explosion, but most power had been restored by early Monday afternoon.

Sheila Fabrigas told KTLA5 that her husband had just thrown some sheets into the dryer, and when he walked out of the laundry room and into the kitchen, the blast occurred, throwing him into a pantry door.