Investigators are trying to determine what caused an explosion in a compressed natural gas tank that injured nine firefighters in the Wilmington area.
It happened Thursday just before 7 a.m. at 1120 N Alameda Street. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said a truck driver called 911 when she noticed something was wrong with the truck.
“Six minutes after firefighters arrived, one of the tanks exploded, causing severe injuries,” according to the department. Nine firefighters were hospitalized with two in critical condition.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said during a press conference that one of the firefighters in critical condition was stable, while the other had to be intubated and was taken to the burn unit at Los Angeles General Medical Center.
As of Friday morning, seven of the injured firefighters were released from the hospital.
“The remaining CNG cylinder shot flames for hours, slowly releasing the flammable gas contents after being damaged,” according to the department. “LAFD Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Specialists responded, and crews on scene widened the radius of the "exclusion zone" to 500 feet, to keep responders and bystanders from being injured if a second blast should occur.”
On Thursday night, around 75 residents on East Young Street had to evacuate for a couple hours due to concerns about hazardous material on the truck, according to KCAL News.
The department added that the Hazmat teams confirmed there was no toxic hazard in the air at any point and that the department’s robot, "Thermite RS3,” put water on the remaining cylinder.
The area is still cornered off at this time.
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