Woman injured in massive Huntington Beach explosion

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A massive explosion in Huntington Beach left a woman critically injured Wednesday morning.

The explosion was reported around 5:40 a.m. in the 18000 block of Gothard Street, according to Huntington Beach police. There are a row of storage containers, and investigators say the explosion happened inside one of the containers.

"When they arrived on scene, the first two police officers on scene found a victim laying inside of the rubbish laying around," said Bob Culhane of the Huntington Beach Fire Department.

Authorities said the woman was transported to the burn unit at Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana in critical condition.

Although a 911 call was made, the explosion was so loud that police and firefighters heard it from about a mile away, as did residents.

"To me, it sounded like an earthquake," said Huntington Beach resident Brian Leach.

Investigators say the victim was one of two people who watched the yard overnight.

"They don't actually live here, but they do stay here overnight for the security," Culhane said.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but authorities say it does not appear to be related to the business' propane operation.

A bomb squad responded to the scene and cleared the area of any other threat.