An explosion and fire killed a man at the mobile home park at 1930 Stewart Street on Sunday afternoon, April 22. Santa Monica Police responding to reports at 3:53 p.m. found a male victim with critical injuries near a 2007 Chevrolet which was completely destroyed.
The victim, later identified as James Wright Marshall, aged 57, who lived in space A5 at the trailer park, was treated at the scene by Santa Monica Fire Department paramedics and transported to the trauma center at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where he later died.
Investigation was conducted at the scene by personnel from the Santa Monica Police Department, Santa Monica Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Arson and Explosives Detail. “Preliminary investigation indicates that the explosion was accidental in nature,” said a statement released by SMPD. Compressed gas canisters were apparently stored in Marshall’s vehicle; one of them appears to have leaked a volatile substance within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, which exploded when Marshall entered.
The police said: “No other persons are known to have received significant injuries. In addition to the vehicle, the victim’s trailer home and two adjacent trailer homes received significant damage. The damage to other surrounding structures appears to be limited to broken windows.”
Los Angeles County Coroner spokesman Craig Harvey told the Mirror that Marshall was pronounced dead at UCLA at 4:49 Sunday afternoon, and that the post mortem examination had not yet been performed as of Monday morning, April 23.
