‘No criminal activity’ at site of explosion at West Hills home

An explosion at a West Hills home Wednesday afternoon may have been caused by a gas leak, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s drug lab unit found “no criminal activity” at the site of the blast, which fire officials said damaged a handful of homes in the neighborhood.

“They conducted a thorough investigation,” said LAPD Officer Tony Im.

The explosion was reported shortly after 3 p.m. in the 7500 block of North Sale Avenue.

Arson investigators responded while firefighters ensured that utilities were secured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Officials initially reported one injury, but later said no one needed to be treated or taken to a hospital.

An aerial photograph showed the backyard of the home, including a pool, covered in splintered wood and other debris.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

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UPDATES:

8:50 p.m.: This article was updated with information that the explosion was possibly caused by a gas leak.

5:40 p.m.: This article was updated with information about a criminal investigation.

This article was originally published at 4:05 p.m.