11 Los Angeles firefighters hurt while running from blast
Source: AP
By STEFANIE DAZIO and FRANK BAKER
LOS ANGELES (AP) An explosion Saturday at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles injured 11 firefighters who had gone inside and on the roof to try to knock down a fire and then had to run for their lives when a ball of flames shot out the building and scorched a fire truck across the street.
Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said one significant explosion shook the neighborhood around 6:30 p.m. Firefighters inside had to run through a wall of flames he estimated as 30 feet high and wide, and those on the roof scrambled down a ladder that was engulfed in fire.
Scott said people at the scene described the explosion as sounding like a freight train or jet engine. Some of the fleeing firefighters were on fire and tore off their protective equipment and left it on the sidewalk, along with melted helmets, Scott said.
The was one of the worst scenes Ive seen, he said.
Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters push ambulance cots at the scene of a structure fire that injured multiple firefighters, according to a fire department spokesman, Saturday, May 16, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Read more: https://apnews.com/597864b3e0f1c56ccee2d51f7e4e572c
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)call. They were lucky.
magicarpet
(14,155 posts)You really never know what people have stored on their property,.... kind of walk in blind into a dangerous blazing/explosive inferno.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)At least as legitimate as any marijuana dispensary or supplier can be.
From the article linked in the OP:
On its website, SmokeTokes advertises a variety of products including puff bars, pipes, dab tools, vaporizers, torches and butane, and cartridges. The company says it is an international distributor and wholesaler of smoking and vaping products, and related accessories. Founded in 2009, it offers discounts to loyal customers, fast shipping, a huge catalog of products and customer service that is untouched.
magicarpet
(14,155 posts)Not knowing what they had stored on the premises or what might ignite and then explode.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)Some cities keep lists of companies that have volatile compounds that could explode. I suspect that the Republican/Libertarian attitudes have reduced those databases. In cases like this it could save on injuries or even lives.
Warpy
(111,270 posts)a grease fire? The oil storage probably ruptured and BOOM.
Throw in some butane and you can take out a whole neighborhood.
magicarpet
(14,155 posts)Warpy
(111,270 posts)but a combination of the lid and turning the stove off has worked. There's a vid from England about putting out a fire in a pot without a lid, they suggest soaking a kitchen towel in water, wringing it out completely, and laying it over the top of the pot, burner off. Baking soda will work in a pinch, or a fire extinguisher, something I always keep in the kitchen in case the lid doesn't work for some reason. The towel in the English method won't be worth much, but at least you won't burn the house down.
Oil fires are nasty. With water, the burning oil floats on the water, the water flashes into steam and aerosolizes the burning oil, and no more house.
mbusby
(823 posts)...is banded in Colorado. There are other non-flammable ways to extract THC using CO2.
uncle ray
(3,156 posts)commercial extraction is legal.
Grokenstein
(5,725 posts)when cornered by the FBI for planning to blow up a Kansas City hospital, I'm honestly relieved this was "just" an accident.
But hearts out to all the firefighters involved, especially the eleven injured, and especially the three with critical injuries. All are expected to survive, but two are on ventilators and "survive" doesn't take into account the grievous damage they've suffered.
Eugene
(61,900 posts)Source: Associated Press
By STEFANIE DAZIO and FRANK BAKER
May 17, 2020
LOS ANGELES (AP) Police and fire investigators launched a criminal probe Sunday into the cause of an explosion at a hash oil manufacturer in downtown Los Angeles that sent firefighters running for their lives.
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Departments major crimes division were working with the city Fire Departments arson investigators to determine what might have sparked the blast that shot a ball of flames out of the building Saturday night and scorched a fire truck across the street, police spokesman Josh Rubenstein said.
Were in the very early stages of the investigation ... to understand what happened and figure out how to move forward, he said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was assisting local fire investigators, an agency spokeswoman said.
The blast injured a dozen firefighters. Some of them who ran out onto sidewalks, where they tore off their burning protective equipment, including melted helmets, officials said.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/48a29168caab09da237d3cc56e6c2aa4