WILMINGTON (CNS) - The driver of a truck that exploded in Wilmington, injuring nine Los Angeles firefighters, saw sparks in the truck cab that prompted her to pull over and call 911, but responding crews were unaware that it was a natural-gas-powered vehicle, according to an initial National Transportation Safety Board report.
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The short summary report makes no conclusions about the cause of the blast, but only reviews basic information gleaned thus far by investigators looking into the Feb. 15 explosion.
The blast occurred around 7 a.m. that morning after Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to a report of a vehicle fire. Within minutes of arriving on scene, one of the truck's two compressed natural gas fuel tanks exploded, injuring the firefighters, one of whom could be seen on video being violently thrown through the air by the blast.
Nine firefighters were injured, two critically. Most were released from the hospital relatively quickly. The most seriously injured firefighter, Dan Goen, was flown to the burn ward at Los Angeles General Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized until Feb. 26.
LAFD Capt. Erik Scott told reporters the morning of the explosion that the woman driving the truck had "noticed some abnormalities of the tanks," prompting her to stop and call authorities.
According to the NTSB summary released Thursday, the driver was traveling south on Alameda Street and "noticed sparks coming from inside the cab, near the bottom of the passenger-side seat" and pulled over near the intersection with Henry Ford Avenue.
"The truck was fully engulfed in fire before fire department personnel arrived, and the firefighters were not aware that the truck was CNG- powered," according to the NTSB. "During the course of firefighting, the driver's side tank exploded, injuring nine firefighters."
The agency noted that "all aspects of the fire and explosion remain under investigation," and investigators are working to determine the probable cause, "with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events."
There was no timeline on when the investigation might be completed.
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