Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Fire crews end search operations at Sylmar blast that injured 3

Explosion tears through Sylmar building
Los Angeles firefighters Tuesday evening completed their search of a Sylmar building that was rocked by a large explosion that injured three men, two of them critically.

Fire crews found no other victims inside the one-story commercial structure at 12349 Gladstone Ave., said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The massive blast was heard by nearby business owners and tore a hole through the roof of the building, which a fire official at the scene described as a family-owned alternative energy business.

Humphrey said firefighters found two 3-foot-long compressed gas cylinders inside the building.

Capt. Jamie Moore told reporters at the scene that preliminary evidence indicates that compressed gas sparked the explosion, according to KTLA.

The three victims were taken to local hospitals, Humphrey said. The explosion was reported about 4:40 p.m.

A number of firefighters who initially responded had been released Tuesday evening. Remaining crews were waiting for building inspectors to survey the damaged structure.

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-- Andrew Blankstein (twitter.com/anblanx) and Robert J. Lopez (twitter.com/LAJourno)

Photo: Damaged building. Credit: KTLA-TV.

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