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11 firefighters injured in downtown Los Angeles explosion 12 firefighters injured in downtown Los Angeles explosion
(about 8 hours later)
An explosion Saturday night that rocked an area in downtown Los Angeles injured 11 firefighters who were responding to a major fire at a business that manufactures hash oil. Engine 9 was the first truck to respond to a call on Saturday night about a fire in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said the “significant explosion” occurred after firefighters were called about 6 p.m. Saturday to the site of a fire at a commercial building on Boyd Street in the city’s Toy District. The firefighters who entered the building were looking for the nexus of the fire when the blast occurred, causing the flames to spread to nearby buildings, Scott told reporters near the scene. A distress call was sent after the explosion occurred, and about 230 other firefighters responded, setting up a triage area to treat their wounded comrades. Two hours after the initial call, the fire was put out. Firefighters entered the one-story commercial building and climbed to the roof — a standard procedure to extinguish a blaze. But soon they heard a rumbling, high-pitched sound — as if jet engines were rearing up.
Within moments, the warehouse erupted and a 30-foot-wide fireball forced the responders to retreat. The explosion rocked the area and set multiple buildings ablaze. About 230 other firefighters ultimately reached the scene to extinguish the inferno, which took about two hours.
The debris from the building that exploded included the remnants of Engine 9: a charred firetruck, melted helmets and empty fire extinguishers that firefighters probably used to douse their burning comrades.
“This quickly turned into an incident that we all dread,” said Capt. Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, adding that it was “one of the worst incidents in recent history that we’ve been through.”
“We had firefighters driven off the roof, frantically scurrying down the aerial ladder to safety through a blowtorch,” he told The Washington Post, recalling the night.
A dozen firefighters were rushed to the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center with burns ranging from minor to severe. They are expected to survive, LAFD Medical Director Marc Eckstein said at a news conference Saturday night outside the hospital. Four were taken to the burn unit. Eight remained hospitalized Sunday.
Eckstein said that the burns were mostly on the firefighters’ arms, but that some were on their backs, ears and hands. Two firefighters were put on ventilators to treat chemical inhalation.
“Things could have been so much worse today,” he said, adding that there’s no evidence that the blast caused the injuries. Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas said at a news conference that the firefighters knew to flee from the sound of pressure building.
Major fire in Little Tokyo/downtown Los Angeles at San Pedro and Third. Dangerously close to Skid Row residents, senior and low income housing. Major smoke screen, ash is raining for blocks. pic.twitter.com/s4coh3xbgqMajor fire in Little Tokyo/downtown Los Angeles at San Pedro and Third. Dangerously close to Skid Row residents, senior and low income housing. Major smoke screen, ash is raining for blocks. pic.twitter.com/s4coh3xbgq
The blast and flames melted firefighters’ helmets, blackened a firetruck parked across the street and charred a ladder that firefighters had climbed to access the one-story commercial building, Scott said. Arson investigators are looking into what sparked the blaze in the building, which is on Boyd Street in the city’s Toy District.
The cause of the fire is being investigated. The building housed the wholesale business Smoke Tokes, which Scott says makes “butane honey oil.” Butane, an odorless gas that easily ignites, is used in the process that creates hash oil with THC from cannabis. Firefighters arriving at the scene saw canisters of butane on the street outside the building.
“This is a paramount concern to determine what caused this,” Scott said. Hash oil is used in vaporizers, waxes and other products that the Smoke Tokes business retails on its website. Smoke Tokes didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The injured firefighters are expected to survive, he said. Four were taken to the burn unit, and two of them were on ventilators, LAFD medical director Marc Eckstein said at a news conference Saturday night at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, where the injured were being treated. The commercial sale, distribution and production of cannabis is legal in California.
“Things could have been so much worse today,” he said, adding that there’s no evidence that the blast caused the injuries. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, public officials have discouraged the public from gathering at the scene, which is cordoned off within a three-block radius, Scott said. Firefighters are also restricted from visiting their injured comrades at the hospital.
That may be because the officer in charge at the scene realized that the heat and pressure from the rear of the warehouse were increasing and ordered the firefighters to leave when the blast occurred, LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said at the briefing.
“Things didn’t seem right,” he said.
Witnesses said the coats of some of the firefighters were on fire as they ran out of the building, Terrazas said.
“We’ve been saying for the last two months, even more than usual, how much we appreciate our medical personal and first responders,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at the briefing, referring to the coronavirus pandemic, “and, tonight, I’m doubly and deeply grateful for both of them.”
Tonight, 11 @LAFD firefighters were injured battling a blaze in downtown L.A. All of them are being treated for their injuries and in stable condition at this time. Our hearts go out to their loved ones and fellow first responders. We are keeping them in our prayers. pic.twitter.com/RRoUNPgLBtTonight, 11 @LAFD firefighters were injured battling a blaze in downtown L.A. All of them are being treated for their injuries and in stable condition at this time. Our hearts go out to their loved ones and fellow first responders. We are keeping them in our prayers. pic.twitter.com/RRoUNPgLBt
The building that exploded housed the wholesale business Smoke Tokes, which Scott says makes “butane honey oil.” Butane, an odorless gas that easily ignites, is used in the process that creates hash oil with THC from cannabis. The oil is used in vaporizers, waxes and other products that the Smoke Tokes business retails on its website. Firefighters arriving at the scene saw canisters of butane on the street outside the building, Terrazas said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed gratitude at the Saturday news briefing to the firefighters and hospital workers who have responded to the blaze and the coronavirus outbreak.
The business didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. “We’ve been saying for the last two months, even more than usual, how much we appreciate our medical personnel and first responders,” he said, “and, tonight, I’m doubly and deeply grateful for both of them.”