11 firefighters injured in Los Angeles battling blaze

Los Angeles, May 17

Eleven firefighters had been injured, three of them critically, in downtown Los Angeles when a fireplace in a industrial smoke store sparked a significant explosion and unfold to close by buildings on Saturday night, officers mentioned.

Crews had entered the constructing to battle what was initially regarded as a minor blaze after they observed that the smoke strain was escalating and determined to evacuate, Los Angeles Fire Department chief Ralph Terrazas advised reporters.

He mentioned the blast occurred because the firefighters had been leaving the constructing from the roof and the bottom flooring.

“A witness account is that our firefighters came down the aerial ladder from the roof with their turnout coats on fire,” Terrazas mentioned.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti mentioned three firefighters had essential however not life-threatening accidents and one other had severe accidents, whereas the rest had various levels of burns.

“There are no symptoms of blast injuries but there’s potential evidence of chemical inhalation,” Garcetti mentioned.

“Good news is, everybody’s gonna make it,” he added.

Terrazas mentioned firefighters noticed butane canisters contained in the constructing and outdoors on the road but it surely was unclear what precipitated the blaze.

“Everything is under investigation by our arson team, all I can say at this point is that the cause is under investigation,” he mentioned.

Some 230 responders battled the blaze because it unfold to different buildings within the space earlier than it was extinguished round two hours after it started.

Fire officers mentioned the constructing the place the blast occurred housed a enterprise — Smoke Totes Wholesale Distribution — that offered smoking and vaping paraphernalia and equipped different companies that make butane honey oil, a extremely flammable resin used for inhaling marijuana.

Several storefronts within the space had been blackened by the drive of the blast whereas one fireplace truck had a scorched roof and was coated with particles.

Thick smoke from the blaze was seen from miles away. — AFP