16 Injured, 3 in Critical Condition, As Illegal Fireworks Explode in LA

Sixteen people were injured Wednesday evening after illegal fireworks seized at a South Los Angeles home exploded.

The massive blast caused serious damage nearby homes and cars, injuring at least 16 people, three of them seriously, authorities said.

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Police revealed that they called in a bomb squad after a tip led them to seize some 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) of illegal home-made and China-manufactured pyrotechnics.

“Some of the fireworks were being stored in our Bomb Squad trailer as a precautionary measure" when there was an explosion, an LAPD said in a tweet, adding that it was unknown what sparked the blast.

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The police said one man was arrested on suspicion of possessing fireworks and destructive devices in addition to child endangerment because two children were found at the home.

Some of the fireworks appeared to be large mortar-sized devices used for commercial purposes.

“I would expect multiple houses destroyed had those explosives gone up,” LAPD Capt. Robert Long told KABC-TV.

Pallet-loads of fireworks were placed into an LAPD tractor-trailer and hauled away for disposal. Some of the devices that had been placed inside an armored container exploded in a burst of flame, destroying the truck.

The blast also knocked a nearby car on its side, smashed the windows of several others and blew out windows in a neighboring home.

In the same page, a KCBS-TV reporter affirmed that before the explosion, journalists were warned that some fireworks were going to be destroyed inside the truck and the warning “Fire in the hole!" was shouted several times.

Accordingly, six people were taken to a hospital, three with serious and three with minor injuries, a Fire Department tweet mentioned.

In addition, 9 LAPD officers and a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officer had minor injuries and were taken to the hospital in fair condition, fire officials said.

The police evacuated nearby homes, and building inspectors were evaluating some homes to determine if they were safe.