A massive truck explosion injured a number of Los Angeles firefighters, two of them critically, early Thursday morning in the city’s Wilmington neighborhood.
KABC-TV reported the blast occurred just before 7 a.m. local time as units with the Los Angeles Fire Department were dispatched to the scene of a fire in a semi-truck fueled by compressed natural gas.
Minutes after several fire engines arrived, the truck exploded near the intersection of Alameda Street and Henry Ford Avenue.
The area of the city is several miles south of downtown Los Angeles and several miles east of Los Angeles International Airport.
A nearby doorbell camera caught the moment of the blast.
The footage shows the truck emitting a column of smoke before a fireball erupted high into the air.
The explosion was followed by a power flash from a nearby electric transformer.
“Breaking: Explosion in Wilmington, Los Angeles. 10 firefighters injured, some critical. LAFD responded to a truck fire with pressurized cylinders. #LAFD #WilmingtonExplosion #LosAngeles” pic.twitter.com/UrXGAH635a
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KABC aerial footage showed the truck had no trailer and had been burned essentially into a shell. It was still smoldering after the blast.
The Los Angeles Times spoke with one witness who did not wish to give her name who said the explosion was so strong that it knocked her off her feet — even though she was several hundred feet away.
“I came out here to see what it was because I saw the black smoke and as I was calling the fire department, the second explosion happened and knocked me from the tree right there to here,” she told the newspaper.
The woman was offered medical treatment, but turned emergency responders down on the offer.
Seven firefighters were hurt in the blast and three of them were hospitalized and are in critical condition, KABC reported.
Those who suffered serious injuries were taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, KABC reported.
Other firefighters were evaluated and treated at the scene of the explosion, the fire department confirmed.
The whereabouts and condition of the truck’s driver were unknown as of late Thursday morning.
“Firefighters responded to a truck with pressurized cylinders on fire,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a brief statement.
The statement added:
“An explosion on scene injured multiple firefighters. Three have already been transported to a local hospital (at least two in critical condition). Several other injured are being evaluated on scene, awaiting additional ambulances to arrive.”
