`MIRACULOUS' NO ONE DIES IN ENCINO APARTMENT INFERNO.

Byline: Ryan Oliver and Sonia Giordani Staff Writers

ENCINO - An earth-shattering explosion and fire roared through a three-story apartment building Friday, critically burning one resident and destroying or damaging a dozen of the 137 units, authorities said.

Nearly 200 firefighters were called in to fight the blaze at the Park Encino complex that authorities said was likely caused by a natural gas leak.

Residents ran for their lives as debris rained down around them and flames spread through one of the three buildings in the complex. Three people were hurt, one critically, but no one died.

``It's miraculous. It's amazing,'' said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis.

``I still can't believe (just) three people were injured. All I could think of when I saw that thing was 9-11.''

Officials said the outcome might have been much worse if the explosion had occurred in the middle of the night instead of shortly after 11 a.m. Still, many residents were home at the time of the blast.

``I heard a boom and the windows shattered and the air conditioner blew out and smacked against the wall,'' said David Van Pelt, who lived in the complex at 5301 Newcastle Ave. and was visiting a neighbor in another unit.

Van Pelt looked outside and saw that portions of the building had pancaked. Then he saw a man crawl out of the debris.

``He was burned pretty bad and had glass all over his body,'' Van Pelt said. ``He was pushing doors and walls off his body because they had fallen on him. You know how those people in New York felt. This is a tiny piece of it.''

The explosion and fire came just two days after police had warnedapartment building owners to be alert because of unspecified threats of terrorist activities.

Concerns also were heightened because the incident occurred in an area with a large Jewish population where many Israeli flags are flying along with U.S. flags.

FBI and police bomb experts responded as a precaution, but authorities said they had no evidence to indicate a criminal act.

``The LAPD and the LAFD are not going down that road at this point,'' said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Franco.

A 47-year-old man with burns to his face and body was taken to nearby Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. Two other people were treated for trauma.

Oreet McBride, 37, who lives in another building at Park Encino, was talking with a friend when she heard a boom.

``We were just talking about the bombings in Israel and then we heard this explosion,'' said McBride, who recently emigrated from Israel. ``I went outside and saw everything falling into the swimming pool. The recreation room was in shambles.

``I saw someone walking out naked, with blood on his head. I went to get some shorts for him,'' she said. ``Then there were all these things crashing down and the building started to cave in. It looked like a house of cards.''

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Hill said canine teams would be sent in to search the rubble for other victims, but that authorities had received no reports that anyone was unaccounted for.

Fire crews expect to be at the complex until at least today.

Mayor James Hahn arrived at the scene after noon, and toured the site.

``It's remarkable how much damage was done,'' Hahn said. ``I am very surprised there were not more people injured.''

Hahn praised the response of the Fire Department. The first crews responded within five minutes of the 11:06 a.m. call.

``I think what we are grateful for today is we were able to bring a lot of resources here,'' Hahn said. ``They demonstrated that here today.''

While scores of firefighters fought the blaze, others worked to control noxious fumes that officials said could pose a threat to neighbors.

``With the materials they use in modern furniture - the types of plastics and other materials - it a causes a real concern for toxic fumes,'' said Collis.

Collis said the fire walls in the building likely were torn apart by the blast, which accounted for the rapid spread of the flames to all three floors.

About a dozen of the units were destroyed or heavily damaged, but residents of neighboring units and adjacent buildings were being kept out of the buildings until safety inspectors gave the all-clear.

Some of them gathered at Portola Middle School in Tarzana, where the Red Cross converted the campus gymnasium into an emergency station.

``This will provide people a place to stay overnight as well as food, medical assistance and anything they may need,'' said Delio Perez, a nurse with Red Cross Disaster Relief Services.

``At this point, we don't know how many people to anticipate. But we were told there were more than 150 units affected,'' he said.

The evacuation center also served as a meeting point for many families.

``I'm waiting for my mother. I'm hoping she'll come here,'' said John Klein, who said his parents live in the building damaged in the blaze.

``She said she had some errands to run today. I hope she was out.''

Staff Writers Dana Bartholomew, Brent Hopkins, Evan Pondel and Jason Kandel contributed to this report.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 2 maps

Photo:

(1 -- color) A police officer calms Carrie Belatsky, a resident of the Park Encino apartment building that burned Friday.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer

(2 -- 3 -- color) Resident Mary Jacobson is wheeled to an ambulance, left, as a television screen, above, shows the extent of the damage to the apartment house.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer and ABC-TV

(4) Firefighters rest after battling the fiery blaze in the Park Encino apartment house on Friday morning. Authorities marveled that no one was killed.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Map:

(1) ENCINO APARTMENT COMPLEX EXPLOSION

(2) Park Encino Apartments

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