South LA fireworks explosion: 500-pound containment lid recovered blocks away after failed LAPD detonation

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Mass destruction is left after an explosion triggered by a bomb squad detonating homemade fireworks in south Los Angeles, with crews putting a 500 pound lid on the second day Failed explosives containers drag in the cleanup on Friday, officials said.

The bulky lid was found three to four blocks from the center of the explosion on East 27th Street and towed from the scene for further analysis, said Michael Hoffman, an assistant special agent responsible for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

It’s unclear how long it will take to clear the scene, which spans several blocks, so residents can return home, Hoffman said.

Seventeen people were injured Wednesday night – including nine Los Angeles police officers and a federal agent – in the explosion, which also knocked over and damaged cars and smashed windows in homes and a laundromat. The explosion could be heard blocks away.

Watch the moment the LAPD truck explodes – from above

It could take days to find out why the material in a spherical containment on a semi-trailer truck exploded and tore the rig in a supposedly safe operation to handle explosives too unstable to remove from the historic district in south-central where tons of illegal fireworks were discovered.

ATF experts from across the country arrived on site Thursday evening and Friday morning to investigate the cause and planned to work through the holiday weekend until early next week.

“What we’re trying to do right now to help people return to their homes is to reduce the footprint of the actual scene,” Hoffman said at a Friday afternoon press conference.

Investigators collect evidence in the streets surrounding the explosion and remove some vehicles. Some cars were too damaged to be driven and are being towed, but residents are able to retrieve the ready-to-drive cars.

“Some of these vehicles are left to their owners. So if anyone is affected by their vehicles or needs access to their vehicles, please come to the outdoor area at 27th and San Pedro [streets]”Said LAPD commander. Ruby Flores.

Officials also escort people to their homes to collect essential items such as medicines.

Police officers walk past the remains of an armored Los Angeles Police tractor truck on Thursday morning, July 1, 2021 after illegal fireworks detonated in South Los Angeles on Wednesday evening that were confiscated from a home in South Los Angeles. (AP Photo / Damian Dovarganes)

Accommodation has been set up at the Fred Roberts Recreation Center, 4700 Honduras St. in the Central-Alameda district. Officials are still working to set up a relief center where residents can access services and recovery information, but a directory of resources has been posted online.

The authorities were unable to provide any answers on Friday about the reasons for the explosion.

Experts say the explosion was very unusual, especially for a law enforcement agency the size and resources of the Los Angeles Police Department. The explosion could have been the result of human error – such as improperly sealing the container or overloading it with material – or a defect in the equipment such as a microcrack that has grown over time and use. Or both.

“They were very lucky no one was killed here,” said Glenn Corbett, professor of fire science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Bombing squads across the country are now likely to check their own equipment in remote locations to ensure there are no possible defects in their containment containers that could cost tens of thousands of dollars and injure more people, Corbett said.

The LAPD did not answer questions on Thursday for information about how old the containment was and how often it was used and inspected. But Chief Michel Moore previously said that “the protocols were clearly followed and followed”.

“But something happened in that containment that shouldn’t have happened, and we don’t know why,” said Moore. “But we want to find out why.”

Less than 10 pounds of material was loaded into the chamber, far less than its safety rating, Moore said. He described the material as 40 homemade devices the size of Coca-Cola cans with simple fuses and 200 smaller but similar devices.

“This ship should have been able to dispose of this material,” he said. Instead, there was a “total, catastrophic failure of this containment vehicle”.

Usually the heavy duty hydraulic doors lock and lock – usually by remote control – and the detonation occurs instantly. The displaced pressure wave is absorbed by the ship and safely released outside.

“You wouldn’t even know,” said Sean Dennis, president and co-founder of the United States Bomb Technician Association, except for a muffled ring and a slight hiss when some of the pressure is released.

The LAPD did not say which company made the containment device. Attempts to reach several manufacturers on Thursday were unsuccessful.

The explosion came after police spent the day disposing of about 3,000-5,000 pounds of commercial fireworks that were found in the house after an early morning clue. Police found some of them on a patio in cardboard boxes piled 2 to 3 meters high, Moore said.

Fireworks are illegal to sell or possess in Los Angeles and unincorporated areas of the county.

One resident, Arturo Cejas, 27, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a destructive device, but he could also be charged with child endangerment because his 10-year-old brother was in the house, Moore said.

It was not immediately known whether Cejas had a lawyer who could speak for him.

The fireworks boxes were labeled “Made in China”. The police chief said they were bought outside of the state to be sold in the neighborhood on July 4th.

Peter Diaczuk, professor of forensics at John Jay, said the size of the explosion suggested high-explosive devices that would not be used for a local Independence Day celebration.

As the holiday approaches, fire departments across the country are seizing tens of thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks and warning users that igniting could lead to devastating forest fires. Los Angeles police announced Thursday that they had confiscated another ton of illegal fireworks from a shipping container and transported the bomb squad to a warehouse.

In LA, Moore said Wednesday that three vans and a 53-foot trailer were brought in to load the fireworks display at the South Los Angeles home and take them to a safe location. The “improvised explosives” that were also found, however, are too dangerous to move, said the boss.

There was a 300-foot boundary around the ship – a typical security area – and before the explosion, police had knocked on doors to evacuate houses on either side of the street the truck was parked on. But firefighters later found people in some homes, officials said.

It is not uncommon for bomb squads not to know exactly what the homemade explosives they are detonating contain, Diaczuk said.

“You don’t know what you’re up against. You don’t know what that character did, ”he said. “It doesn’t contain any ingredients like when you go shopping.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.