"I was asleep when I felt like the whole bed was shaking. Residents told Eyewitness News they felt the blast from inside a building more than a quarter-mile away. "Clearly, protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should have not happened, and we don't know why, but we intend to find out why," Moore said. When the items were detonated, Moore said there was a "total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle." The material was transferred to a "total containment vehicle" with an iron chamber, which is designed to house explosive material that can be safely detonated. In the wake of a massive explosion during a planned detonation of illegal fireworks in South L.A., some students of a nearby elementary school say they're on edge.ĭuring the operation, 40 coke-can-sized improvised explosive devices with fuses and 200 additional smaller devices with similar construction were found. WATCH: South LA fireworks explosion: Students of nearby school react to blast At a news conference Wednesday night, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said work was being done throughout the day to move illegal commercial-grade fireworks to an offsite location. Several homes in the area were also damaged, and city officials were evaluating them to determine if they were structurally sound.Įarlier in the day, the LAPD seized at least 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a home near an elementary school. Six civilians, ranging in age from 51 to 85, were taken to the hospital, three with minor and three with moderate injuries, and one person was examined at the scene but wasn't transported, fire officials said.
Homes, cars and a laundromat had windows shattered, and one car had its side plowed in and was knocked on its side by the force of the blast, which was heard two blocks away. Wednesday, sent nine police officers and a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officer to the hospital with minor injuries, Fire Chief Ralph M. The blast, which happened shortly after 7:30 p.m. "If some of these devices were to explode in the open, the impact would be a lot less because the blast would really go in all directions." It certainly found an outlet here and it just created that pressure wave," Jovel said.
You have that environment where it's pressurized, it needs to find an outlet. When you have it in the open, it tends to disperse evenly. "You get a pressurized explosive, that pressure has to go somewhere. Officials say the material being inside the LAPD truck made the blast more dangerous. neighborhood, damaging nearby homes and cars and leaving at least 17 people injured after an illegal fireworks seizure. He described what happened to the truck as a "total catastrophic failure" and indicated the vehicle should have successfully absorbed the blast force.An explosion rocked a South L.A. “Tonight, every effort of the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department, joined by LA Fire and ATF during the course of today, was to render this situation safe, and clearly protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should not have happened, and we don’t know why," Moore said. Moore did not reference an intentional demolition when speaking to reporters, though he said "something happened" that "should not have happened" after a number of improvised explosives were found among the 5,000 pounds of fireworks.
LAPD Chief Michael Moore said during a press conference Wednesday night that residents were evacuated prior to the blast, though some remained in their homes against the commands of fire authorities. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
TWO DEAD AND TWO WOUNDED AFTER TEXAS GAS LINE EXPLOSION The truck was later seen on video breaking apart after a massive explosion in what is being described as a failed controlled demolition. All injuries were classified as either "moderate" or "minor," and 16 of the 17 victims were transported to local hospitals.Īround 7 p.m., law enforcement was in the process of confiscating more than 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a home near San Pedro before the explosive material was moved into a bomb squad "vessel," which contained armored plating, the LAPD wrote. Nine personnel with the Los Angeles Police Department were wounded, one agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sustained injuries, and seven civilians were hurt following the blast, fire department authorities said.
Seventeen people, including multiple police officers, were wounded after a Los Angeles bomb squad truck carrying seized illegal fireworks exploded in a residential neighborhood Wednesday evening.