Man Dies of Injuries in Encino Explosion

An Encino man died Sunday of burn-related injuries suffered in a fiery explosion that tore through his apartment building after he apparently disconnected a gas line to fix a stove and then ignited the gas by lighting a cigarette.

Dennis Cohen, 47, died about 11:15 a.m. at Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks from injuries suffered in Friday’s accident, said Lysa Barry, a hospital spokeswoman.

“According to Dr. Peter Grossman, the patient passed away ... despite all efforts, due to burn shock and sepsis,” Barry said.

Sepsis, a bacterial infection of the bloodstream that burn victims are susceptible to, strikes about 750,000 Americans each year, killing 225,000 of them.

Cohen suffered second- and third-degree burns to about 60% of his body in the blast that ripped through the 130-unit complex, Barry said. “Any time you suffer 50% burns, it is really tough to pull through,” she said.

Cohen was described by hospital officials as unmarried and childless. A man who identified himself at the hospital as Cohen’s best friend said Cohen was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s.

The man, who spoke to a reporter Saturday, said Cohen was home on disability leave and had few family members in the area.

Before Cohen’s death, Los Angeles City Fire Chief William Bamattre said the apartment tenant told investigators Friday and Saturday that he may have sparked the explosion while working on a stove.

Cohen told investigators he disconnected the gas pipe, went to the bathroom and then lighted a cigarette when he returned.

The explosion turned 10 apartments to rubble and damaged dozens of others.

None of the apartment building’s 300 other residents suffered serious injuries.

Investigators had planned to further interview Cohen, who before his death was described as in extreme pain, heavily sedated and in need of major surgery.

Bamattre said there was nothing to suggest the fire was caused by anything other than a gas line explosion. Accelerant-sniffing dogs did not detect anything unusual.

Los Angeles police investigators said the gas pipe was found disconnected in Cohen’s second-story, one-bedroom apartment.

Bob Collis, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman, said the investigation will continue.

None of the tenants will be allowed to occupy their apartments for at least a week.

The city Department of Building and Safety is expected in the next few days to determine whether the building is safe to enter.

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Times staff writer Massie Ritsch contributed to this report.