That’s one hell of an explosion. Surrounding buildings are also burning.
Source: The Daily Wire
An explosion in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday evening burned multiple buildings and injured 11 firefighters before it was extinguished, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
An initial fire occurred at 327 E Boyd St, south of Little Tokyo and near Skid Row, where firefighters were responding to a one-story commercial building with smoke. The department issued an updated statement, less than a half hour later, saying approximately 10 firefighters were “down” following an explosion, and that the situation had “been upgraded to a major emergency.”
Helicopter coverage from NBC News Los Angeles appears to show the flames mostly extinguished as of 7:45 pm, reports The Los Angeles Times. The fire department said at 8:08pm that 11 firefighters had burns and other injuries of unknown severity.
“Our hearts go out to their loved ones and fellow first responders. We are keeping them in our prayers.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti
A person purportedly near the scene around the time of the explosion posted a video on Twitter of flames bursting out of a building. A large plume of smoke is also visible in the video.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said that 230 firefighters were responding to the scene as of 7:05pm, and that firefighters had moved to a defensive posture and a medical branch had been created for injured firefighters.
“As our firefighters were making their entry in and finding the seat of the fire, there was a significant explosion. Tragically, we have approximately 11 firefighters with burn injuries. The fire truck that [was] completely across the street has been blackened. “some arriving resources” at the scene saw a significant explosion — very high, very wide — rumbling the entire area, and firefighters were coming out with obvious damage and burns.”
Eric Scott
Captain – LAFD
In a statement around two hours after the initial fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department said that the source of the fire was still under active investigation. The department also disclosed that “the occupancy was doing business as Smoke Tokes Wholesale Distributor, reportedly a supplier for those who make butane honey oil,” but did not make any determinations.
Los Angeles Burns After Explosion
Jethro