At least 9 hurt in explosion during LAPD bomb squad seizure of illegal fireworks

[Engineer Cat]

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-30/lapd-responds-to-explosion-at-scene-of-confiscation-of-illegal-fireworks


By LEILA MILLER, RUBEN VIVES, KEVIN RECTOR
JUNE 30, 2021 UPDATED 9:03 PM PT
A major explosion in South Los Angeles damaged buildings and injured at least 9 people, including police officers, as a bomb squad was in the process of seizing over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks in the area.

The blast damaged cars in a residential neighborhood and left debris on the streets, footage on social media showed. A truck that was apparently being used to collect the fireworks was also severely damaged, video shows.

The Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter that at the time of the explosion, its bomb squad officers had been handling thousands of pounds of fireworks in the area of 27th Street and San Pedro Street.

LA Police and bomb squad were called to a home following a tip midday near the intersection of East 27th St and San Pedro St
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 30: Police and bomb squad were called to a home following a tip midday near the intersection of East 27th Street and San Pedro Street on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. Illegal fireworks were seized inside a home. A police officer boxes of fireworks by a folk lift into a simi truck. Some of the fireworks have been deemed unstable and and placed inside a bomb squad truck. The truck exploded this evening. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
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“Some of the fireworks were being stored in our Bomb Squad trailer as a precautionary measure. Unknown at this time what caused an explosion,” it said.

Capt. Stacy Spell, an LAPD spokesman, said that the department’s its first priorities were “evacuation and rendering the area safe.” Spell said LAPD officers were among the injured, but he did not yet know the extent of their injuries.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart said she could not comment yet on the condition of those who were injured but said that she expected the number of injured to increase as officials canvass the area.

“We continue to encounter more patients,” she said.

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About noon, the department received an anonymous call about the fireworks on the 700 block of East 27th Street, Officer Tony Im said.

Officers found several thousand pounds of fireworks and other improvised explosive devices, Im said. The fireworks were to be put in storage, and officials had planned to explode the improvised devices at the scene because they were too unstable to move.

KTTV-TV Channel 11 reported that a bomb squad truck carrying the devices had exploded unexpectedly.

But it was unclear what caused the blast nor exactly what kind of explosive ignited.

[Engineer Cat]

FYI before this article was updated at 9PM PST the article mentioned fireworks and "improvised devices". I'm guessing they made some of their own fireworks which is why the reporter gave them this terrible moniker. Glad they removed that nonsense from the article.

[Arclight]

It looks like they underestimated the power of flash or whatever it was they seized and blew up their containment unit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/EOD/comments/oberle/its_just_gonna_deflagrate_right/

[Arclight]

It looks like they underestimated the power of flash or whatever it was they seized and blew up their containment unit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/EOD/comments/oberle/its_just_gonna_deflagrate_right/

[displayfireworks1]

I think that fire department is going to need more training
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z87X6Nmcsng
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC8vX0V2ypo
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5810&stc=1

[displayfireworks1]

Here is the location in front of this Coin Laundry where the Bomb Unit decided to detonation whatever it was.
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https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0206804,-118.2618008,3a,75y,110.62h,67.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sua7sPAjRLUC7Zo_cvw7nUA!2e0!7i1 6384!8i8192
.
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Here is the home that had the fireworks It the home with 716 written in the roof and something red in the backyard towards the alley.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Pedro+St,+Los+Angeles,+CA/@34.0201691,-118.2614633,58m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c2c9a720b5463d:0x17b43 d04006494e3!8m2!3d33.9689184!4d-118.2695457

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I am also reading an ATF Inspector was injured in addition to others. I'm surprised the ATF Inspector didn't warn the fire department of the dangerous potential of setting this off. Curious how much they placed in that container at one time? I am also curious of the type of bunker or whatever it is called was used?

[rer07]

I could be mistaken but I believe it?s not the fire department?s responsibility to handle the explosives. That is usually the bomb squad within the police departments. Here?s an article I had sent to me with a little more detail of the illegal devices.

http://https://www.fireengineering.com/firefighting/17-hurt-as-illegal-fireworks-cache-explodes-in-los-angeles/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=fe_daily_newsletter&utm_campaign=2021-07-01 (https://www.fireengineering.com/firefighting/17-hurt-as-illegal-fireworks-cache-explodes-in-los-angeles/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=fe_daily_newsletter&utm_campaign=2021-07-01)

[Arclight]

I'm pretty sure that was the LAPD Bomb Squad and not the Fire Department. I asked my EOD friend about this. He said you really shouldn't be using one of those "total containment units" as your normal local disposal option. They are rated up to a few pounds of TNT equivalent. It's not clear to me what they put in it, but it obviously went much differently than they expected. Also, leaving your car parked next to any kind of intentional blast is a bold move.

[displayfireworks1]

In this video you can get a look at the bomb containment whatever that portable device is called. I suspect we are going to find they used it for a purpose it was not designed for. Now you have to ask yourself if you come upon 10 to 20 pounds of homemade explosives do you set it all off at once or do you start slow and test a few to assess what exactly you are dealing with.
If you look back over the years these so called "Experts" bomb squad etc have no idea what they are doing when it comes to fireworks. This brings back memories of that accident in Hawaii years back when they thought it was it good idea to take apart all of those 1.3 confiscated fireworks and killed a few people rather than set the dam things off lighting them one at a time.
.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L4LgDbkr7c
I like how all of these Macho Bomb Squad dudes give the female the job of wiring up the Det-Cord/Shock-Cord next to the explosives.
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RIP Truck, here in better days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz7qcYZVoio
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Here is United States we are all supposed to take our lead from what the State of California professes to know what we are not smart enough to know. Does that metal tube looking thing look like it can totally contain explosive devices in a residential neighborhood? I can't wait to hear from that company that sold that vehicle to them. I can predict they will say it was designed to safely TRANSPORT an explosive device and NOT to totally contain it.

[rer07]

Here is an article with I believe a box of the homemade explosives. In the video you posted Dave it appears the woman isn?t wearing very much safety gear. If this stuff was so volatile like they claim, why wasn?t she in a full containment suit. I agree detonate a small quantity first to see how it reacts first before trying all of it.

https://www.foxla.com/news/bomb-squad-truck-carrying-illegal-fireworks-from-south-la-explodes.amp

[Arclight]

Here is some more information on Total Containment Vessels (TCVs). They are rated to actually contain a blast from 2-10kg in TNT equivalent.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/TVC-TN_0115-508C.pdf

[Arclight]

Here is some more information on Total Containment Vessels (TCVs). They are rated to actually contain a blast from 2-10kg in TNT equivalent.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/TVC-TN_0115-508C.pdf

[RalphieJ]

LAPD........that says it all.

[Arclight]

I mean, someone else's money right? How many of us would set off _anything_ intentionally next to a bunch of cars? It's different when you have to pay for something getting damaged. Just because it behaved nicely the last 3 times doesn't mean anything.

[Engineer Cat]

Maybe they just wanted a new mobile containment unit. Although that one looked like it was just rolled out of the factory.

Were those ground salutes he made? They appeared to be constructed well. Since he had a mix of 1.4 and 1.3 I'm guessing he has a type 54 but clearly broke the rules on magazines and proximity to other structures. His magazine is a car port with tarp walls 10 feet from the neighbors house. :eek:

[Arclight]

Some more information:

https://news.yahoo.com/south-l-man-faces-federal-025451264.html

Paloma Esquivel
Sat, July 3, 2021, 7:54 PM?2 min read
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 30: Police and bomb squad were called to a home following a tip midday near the intersection of East 27th Street and San Pedro Street on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. Illegal fireworks were seized inside a home. A police officer boxes of fireworks by a folk lift into a simi truck. Some of the fireworks have been deemed unstable and and placed inside a bomb squad truck. The truck exploded this evening. Firefighters and LAPD are on seen. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Emergency responders gathered at the scene of the explosion in South Los Angeles on Wednesday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Federal agents on Saturday arrested a South Los Angeles man on charges of illegally transporting explosives, including homemade fireworks that were detonated by police in a residential neighborhood, causing an explosion that damaged homes and injured 17 people.

Arturo Ceja III was arrested by ATF agents Saturday afternoon, federal officials said in a news release. He faces a charge of transporting explosives without a license and is expected to remain in custody until he appears in federal court on Tuesday, according to the statement.

Los Angeles police have come under heavy scrutiny for attempting to safely detonate the fireworks in the neighborhood after officers seized them from a South Los Angeles home Wednesday.


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The LAPD is working with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the origin of the fireworks and review the officers' actions.

Residents of the neighborhood have said police should have done more to protect the community before the fireworks were detonated.

Ceja was previously arrested by LAPD on suspicion of reckless or malicious possession of a destructive device after the fireworks were discovered. He was released on bond Thursday, before the arrest on federal charges.

An attorney for Ceja could not be immediately reached for comment.

The complaint filed against Ceja in federal court on Friday says he bought large amounts of commercial fireworks in late June from a retailer in Pahrump, Nev. The complaint also says he bought homemade fireworks from a man in the parking lot, then drove the fireworks to his home in South L.A. and stored them in his backyard.


"Ceja did not possess an ATF explosives license or permit of any kind that would authorize him to transport either aerial display fireworks or homemade fireworks made with explosive materials," the complaint says.

Police had previously said that about 5,000 pounds of fireworks were found at Ceja's home. In their news release Saturday, federal officials said that the ATF had determined that Ceja had about 32,000 pounds of fireworks in the yard.

[mikepete777]

Geesh, who was running the operation the keystone cops? And they say firework fans are reckless.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

"fireworks that were detonated by police in a residential neighborhood, causing an explosion that damaged homes and injured 17 people."

Wait... So you can't have fireworks in California because they're dangerous. So the cops confiscated them and detonated them IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, damaging homes and injuring 17 people??

This makes sense, how??? :confused:

[Arclight]

Rick,

Your state and mine seem to be in a race to be more awesome like this.