Last week, Los Angeles firefighters put diesel-soaked hay and enough space to operate, setting fire hazards, dangers in secret construction in Pacoma.
Authorities said a 24-year-old man had accumulated a large amount of fireworks in a rear house near Remington Street for an unknown period of time, which exploded in all directions for reasons that were to be determined. Authorities say the man has not been identified, with more than 50% of his body, being burned upon release and possibly subject to possible charges.
But what remains under the rubble is the toxic chemicals that the authorities say are toxic chemicals that can react unpredictably to the water and are too dangerous to simply drag it away.
It must be burned.
“It’s essentially a bomb,” Kenneth R. Cooper, an agent in charge of alcohol, tobacco, guns and explosives, told reporters Friday. “We will use fire, slow, there are ways to burn to mitigate the threat to public safety.”
Firefighters soaked hay in diesel fuel and then burned the remaining focus of the unattached house that night in a “controlled burn.” Eventually, the pile exploded in a series of dazzling white sparks.
But no adjacent properties were damaged, according to the city.
The city had to make more than $21 million after a fireworks blast in 2021, and authorities had no chance to evacuate the surrounding area in the Pacoima situation on Friday.
Guadalupe Aguilera is the one who was asked to leave as authorities prepare to burn the remaining debris. After the operation is completed, she must return on Saturday and said she is grateful for how they handled the situation on Monday.
“It’s a hassle, we’re scared, but they’re doing a great job overall,” she said.
Aguilera said the initial explosion last week caused neighbors to run outside.
“The whole house shaking. It feels like someone shakes the house and then falls down,” she said.
Neighbors heard complaining from the property and ran outside and found a building in a ruin on the property. She said Aguileras stayed behind when authorities began cleaning up the community for preventive measures because they were not sure they would be away from the nearby time.
But the couple cleared out when city officials returned and said they would start to get controlled burns at home.
“They told us we had to leave for our safety because they didn’t know what type of damage the explosives would cause,” she said. “They were worried that the whole street would rise in the explosion.”
Residents said police and other emergency officers stood in the street overnight until the weekend.
By Monday afternoon, the property was wrapped in a plywood wall that hides it primarily on the street. LaFD officials said the surrounding homes were protected by Friday’s explosion and fire.
Even for experienced fire veterans, the idea of having controlled burns in residential areas is new.
“I have never been under controlled burns for 25 years,” said Captain Adam Vangerpen, who was assigned to the operation. “I think these are very unique situations.”
After the burns began on Friday, crew members used drones to appreciate elevated views of the property and deployed a remotely controlled fire-fighting vehicle to spray water onto the structure. Because it is not clear how much explosive material is on the property, multiple agencies are in the standby order in case of potential disasters.
Vangerpen said the ATF and LAPD bomb squads “determining the best route will be to burn it, which is the safest for everyone.”
The controlled burns did not cause any additional damage to nearby structures or other injuries. Neighbors said the windows on nearby houses were destroyed by the initial explosion.
