9 LAFD firefighters injured after explosion in Wilmington area
One Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter remains in the hospital after being injured in an explosion involving a natural gas truck in the Wilmington area Thursday morning.
Authorities said at least nine firefighters were injured, two critically, in the explosion that happened Thursday morning, while the driver of the truck was no injured.
"The firefighters were evaluated for several burn, blast and airway inhalation injuries," said Dr. Molly Deane, trauma surgeon at Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
One of the critically injured firefighters required intubation to deliver oxygen to their lungs and was transferred to Los Angeles General Medical Center where a special Burn Center unit is located.
Dr. Deane adds that after seeing video of the explosion, "it's remarkable none of them were more severely injured."
The dramatic explosion was caught by a resident's Ring camera who lived nearby.
KCAL's Joy Benedict said the Los Angeles Police Department evacuated East Young Street in Wilmington, where roughly 75 neighbors were asked to leave for a couple of hours. Investigators said they believed hazardous materials were still in the area and were assessing how to move it.
Firefighters originally responded to a semi-truck fire in the 1100 block of North Alameda Street near Henry Ford Avenue around 7 a.m. The semi-truck was running on two 100-gallon tanks of compressed natural gas, instead of diesel fuel.
When crews approached the truck to put out the flames, one of the tanks exploded due to pressurized cylinders. The blast happened about six minutes after firefighters arrived to the scene.
The second tank did not explode and is a minor threat since the tank is still emitting gas, said Erik Scott, Los Angeles City Fire Captain. LAFD Hazard material specialist was at the scene to monitor the air and firefighters set up a 500-foot perimeter around the location of the blast.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley spoke at press conference after she visited with the firefighters injured in the explosion and said it was something she will never forget.
Crowley continued to say how she is "reminded of how heroic our members are and that each and every day they are putting themselves in harm's way to provide an incredible level of expertise and professionalism to the people that we serve."
On Saturday, Erik Scott released a statement on X to disclose that one of the critically injured firefighters had been released from the hospital and was recovering at home.
"Our most injured member is making progress however remains critical but stable at LA General ICU," Scott said on X. "The other 7 have various medical appointments & remain off duty due to their injuries."
Scott later reported that the hospitalized firefighter was "extubated this morning" and was awake, alert and talking.
Fire officials said it was unclear how the semi-truck fire started before the explosion and the incident remains under investigation.
Heave Load Transfer, LLC., the company that owns the truck involved in the explosion, released a statement on behalf of their CEO, Jason Fisk, on Saturday.
"Heave Load Transfer, LLC (HLT) is aware of the explosion of one of our compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks in Wilmington, California on the morning of Thursday, February 15th," the statement said. "We and our advisors are currently investigating the incident and are working with authorities to determine the cause. We are grateful to the firefighters who responded to the scene and our thoughts are with those who were injured in the course of ensure others' safety."