A man lost his life, and a woman was critically injured following a fireworks explosion in Pacoima, California, on Thursday night. The incident led to several homes catching fire, requiring the response of over 100 firefighters to control the blaze.
The blaze was reported just after 9 p.m. in the 12900 block of W. Corcoran Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“The fire involved a large quantity of fireworks stored on the property, which scattered throughout the neighborhood,” explained David Ortiz, public information officer for the LAFD.
The fire department reported that three single-story houses were on fire when responders arrived. Additionally, active fireworks in a detached garage threatened more nearby homes and vegetation.
“I felt almost like the impact, you feel it. And as soon as I heard that, I turned the street to see if anyone needed help and more fireworks started going off,” said one area resident. “It felt like an explosion…the fireworks started going off and sooner or later all these fires started coming.”
The LAFD said a 33-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, and four other people suffered smoke inhalation but declined transport to the hospital.
On Friday morning, the department confirmed that a man in his mid-30s died. Additional details about that victim were not available.
Additionally, several animals were reportedly injured.
LAFD HazMat and arson investigators, along with the LAPD Bomb Squad and the Mayor’s Crisis Team, responded to the scene.
It took more than 100 firefighters to knock down the blaze in 53 minutes, according to LAFD. A fourth home and a car were also damaged in the fire.
The investigation into the incident is currently ongoing.
The Pacoima explosion came hours after a deadly fireworks explosion earlier in the day in Simi Valley.
“We are encouraging people to leave the fireworks to the professionals,” said Ortiz.
He added that there needs to be a change to where people go to see a professional show instead.
“Many [fireworks] are being sold out of people’s private garages and private residences by folks that really don’t know how to handle fireworks,” said Ortiz. “Especially when they’re fireworks that have been stored for a long time and they crystalize, they can start some burn on their own
He emphasized that California is not a place for powerful, illegal fireworks; especially due to the dry vegetation.
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