Mom using oxygen tank lights cigarette, sparks explosive Altadena house fire

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- Two people were killed and two others injured after an Altadena home caught fire Saturday night.

At 10:17 p.m., Los Angeles County firefighters responded to a call regarding a house fire in the 2400 block of Holliston Avenue.

Firefighters arrived to find the home engulfed in flames. A 58-year-old man and his mother, 86, were killed in the fire. The son was in a wheelchair and the mother was bedridden. Both were unable to escape, according to authorities.

Neighbors said they heard an explosion at the home.

"Initially, I thought it was an earthquake. That's how violent the explosion was, and I had a two story house that is several feet away and it just shook violently," Philip Marin said.

Authorities believe the elderly woman, who uses an oxygen tank, was smoking a cigarette, which appeared to be the cause of the fire.

The fire was knocked down shortly after 10:30 p.m.

Two other people who lived in the home were injured in the fire and were taken to a nearby hospital. Their condition is unknown.

Neighbors said the man and his mother lived in the home for more than 30 years.

The investigation is ongoing.