With hot spots still smoldering Sunday, arson investigators launched a probe into the source of a massive fireball that injured 12 firefighters while turning a downtown Los Angeles neighborhood into one of the worst urban disasters many have seen.
Three firefighters were released from Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. But as of mid-afternoon, two of the firefighters remained in critical condition. One firefighter was treated and released Saturday night for a minor injury, officials said. A total of eight remained in recovery at the hospital.
All — from the area’s Fire Station 9 downtown — were expected to survive.
“This is a hard hit that will not be forgotten for Station 9,” said Fire Capt. Erik Scott. “It’s a difficult time for our fire family.”
The Boyd fire itself wasn’t fully extinguished until Sunday morning, when arson investigators began piecing together how flames broke out at 6:26 p.m. at 327 E. Boyd St., in the vicinity of SmokeTokes, described as a maker of “butane honey oil,” also known as hash oil.
Butane is an odorless gas that easily ignites, and it’s used in the process to extract the high-inducing chemical THC from cannabis to create a highly potent concentrate also known as hash oil. The oil is used in vape pens, edibles, waxes and other products.
The first firefighters descended on the scene within 4 minutes to find the one-story building engulfed in smoke. Since no businesses were open, they used power saws to force their way in. But things got even more dicey moments later, when multiple warnings came in: They heard what they described on Sunday as a loud, hissing noise that resembled a jet engine, and thermal imaging cameras spotted rising temperatures in the back of the building.
The hissing tipped off some of the captains at the scene that an explosion was possible. Several radioed their firefighters to get off the roof of the structure, Scott said.
That quick action likely saved lives — dozens of firefighters descended on the building within minutes of the call and were on scene when the blast occurred.
A massive retreat began, just moments before a huge explosion shook the neighborhood, forcing crews inside to run through a wall of flames estimated as 30 feet high and wide. Those on the roof scrambled down a ladder that was engulfed in fire.
It wouldn’t take long before a rare “MAYDAY” radio call went out, with crews retreating but more than 200 firefighters rushing to the scene, as dozens of engines, trucks and rescue vehicles clogged the streets in an area that connects Little Tokyo, the Toy District and Skid Row all within a block or two.
“MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY! All companies off the building. We have a MAYDAY situation!” sounded the call.
“On the front … side of the building,” a voice shouted. “We need help!”
In moments, crews were reporting eight downed firefighters, according to the audio.
“This was one of the worst scenes I’ve seen,” Scott said on Sunday.
Ultimately, the fire spread to several nearby buildings. But that was not before reports of firefighters walking away from the explosion still on fire, and having to be doused with fire extinguishers.
Among those firefighters were at least two who needed to be put on ventilators after breathing what doctors called “superheated” air.
I'm about a block and a half from the smoke/vape shop that exploded yesterday in downtown LA. Still a ton of fire vehicles in the area.
This area of DTLA is super populated. You have Little Tokyo, the Toy District and Skid Row all within a block or two. pic.twitter.com/nSkzfQylUJ
— Josh Cain (@joshpcain) May 17, 2020
Following the explosion, a homeless man a few blocks away said it sounded like he was next to a railroad track as a five-engine freight train passed by. Debris and black smoke filled the air, he said.
“It was just a gang of noise I’ve never heard that loud before,” said Quincey Hammons, 44. “It sounded like the building was burning real fast, like Mount St. Helens.”
People living in the area who witnessed the explosion from home described a sound like a jet engine or a low flying helicopter, followed by the blasts.
“Around 6, I heard a couple of explosions, then a sound like a plane was landing,” said Anthony Kim, who was getting tacos in Little Tokyo the day after the fire. “It was a loud hissing noise at first.”
Kim said he went out on his balcony and saw a massive column of fire a few blocks away.
Some residents described a mushroom cloud of smoke that rose hundreds of feet in the air.
The fire scene and surrounding area on Sunday morning remained closed off, with numerous fire and police personnel conducting a widening arson investigation that could lead to criminal charges. Scott said the investigation is “one of the most significant in years” for the department.
Update #StructureFire; INC#1073; 12:45PM; 327 E Boyd St; https://t.co/WjQ6oryhNa; #Downtown; Boyd Street will be closed between Wall St and San Pedro St indefinitely, as the investigation is conducted. Residents, employees and … https://t.co/4hlCYw1Shk
— LAFD (@LAFD) May 17, 2020
But authorities were reluctant to jump to any conclusions about the source. Fire investigations are unique, said LAFD Capt. Patrick Leonard, of the department’s Arson and Counterterrorism Section, in that they start without the presumption that a crime occurred.
“Our job is first and foremost to follow the facts to determine where the fire actually originated,” he said. “Once we determine that, we look for heat sources in that area that could lead to the source of the fire. We’re not going to know those things until we go piece by piece.”
Officials indicated the investigation could be complex and last for weeks.
Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division were also poking through the rubble of the building.
The MCD detectives “bring extensive expertise in large scale investigative responses,” Scott said.
But police also said Sunday that the fire was being treated as a crime scene. They said they did not know if a crime occurred, but they were probing the incident to see if any criminal charges could be brought.
Scott confirmed LAFD is looking into a 2016 fire at previous SmokeTokes location, separated by an alley from the business’ new location.
That fire, on Sept. 12, also required crews to force their way into the business. They found intense flames along with flammable gas cylinders, several of which firefighters said were exploding.
No one was hurt in that fire.
On Saturday night, arson investigators found small butane canisters on the street and inside the building, said Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas. But officials could not yet say whether the butane is what caused the explosion.
A more in-depth incident report would follow.
Attention also turned Sunday to the fire station closest to the blaze, which took a big hit because so many were injured.
All of the firefighters injured worked at Fire Station 9, which — because it is so centralized downtown — is known as one of the busiest in the nation.
“These are significant injuries,” Scott said, adding that the impact is taking a toll on the department.
After injured firefighters were rushed to the hospital, those who remained at the scene, unaware of the seriousness of their colleagues’ injuries, were traumatized by what had transpired, said Terrazas.
“You can imagine the amount of emotional stress,” he said.
Scott said treating the firefighters’ mental health was a priority on Sunday.
“The good news is everybody’s going to make it,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a late Saturday news conference outside the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center
Staff writers Jonah Valdez and David Rosenfeld and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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