LOS ANGELES — An explosion at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles injured 11 firefighters who had gone inside and on the roof to try to knock down a fire and then had to run for their lives when a ball of flames shot out the building and scorched a fire truck across the street.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said “one significant explosion” shook the neighborhood about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Firefighters inside had to run through a wall of flames estimated as 30 feet high and wide, and those on the roof scrambled down a ladder that was engulfed in fire.
Scott said people at the scene described the explosion as sounding like a freight train or jet engine. Some of the fleeing firefighters were on fire and tore off their protective equipment and left it on the sidewalk, along with melted helmets, Scott said.
“This was one of the worst scenes I’ve seen,” he said.
All 11 firefighters suffered burns ranging from minor to serious. Three were listed in critical condition, and two of them were on ventilators. All were expected to survive.
Scott said the building was a warehouse for SmokeTokes, which he described as a maker of “butane honey oil.”
“The good news is everybody’s going to make it,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference outside the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center where all the injured were treated.
“Things could have been so much worse,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Medical Director Dr. Marc Eckstein, who works at the hospital and helped treat the injured.
Firefighters were called to 327 East Boyd St. in the city’s Toy District for a report of a fire at a one-story commercial building. There was light to moderate smoke when firefighters entered the building and went on the roof, normal procedures to try to quickly knock down any flames.
Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said one of the firefighters inside the building thought things didn’t seem right — the pressure from the smoke and heat coming from the rear of the building were increasing. He directed everyone to get out, and as they quickly started exiting the building it was rocked by the explosion.
Firefighters on the roof scrambled down ladders with their protective coats on fire.
The injured firefighters were rushed to the hospital. Those who remained at the scene, unaware of the seriousness of their colleagues’ injuries, were traumatized by what had transpired, Terrazas said.
“You can imagine the amount of emotional stress,” he said.
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May 18, 2020 at 05:14AM
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11 LA firefighters injured running from blast at hash oil factory - Boston Herald
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