1 dead, 3 injured in commercial building explosion in Ventura County industrial area

1 dead, 3 injured in Ventura County blast

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — One person was found dead after an explosion rocked a commercial building Thursday, authorities said.

Three other people were injured, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Ron Oatman said.

The body was found trapped in the partially collapsed building, and firefighters then backed out to assess what they were dealing with, Oatman said.

Businesses in a half-mile radius were evacuated after blast, which blew a hole in the building’s roof.

One of the businesses occupying the building is the Simi Valley branch of the contracting company Servpro, which specializes in cleaning up water-, fire- and smoke-damaged buildings.

Servpro office manager Allison Marrero-Mofa told The Associated Press that five to 10 people were in the industrial property at the time of the explosion.