By
The Associated Press
Nine Los Angeles firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, when the fuel tank of a burning truck that was powered by two cylinders of compressed gas exploded this Thursday morning, authorities reported.
The explosion occurred shortly before 7:00 a.m. (local time) in the Wilmington area, south of Los Angeles, near Long Beach, Nicholas Prange, spokesman for the fire department, said in an interview.
The nine Los Angeles firefighters were rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and were in stable condition.
One of two critically ill patients had to be intubated and airlifted to a burn ward at Los Angeles General Medical Center, said Dr. Molly Dean.
The explosion
left debris scattered in the street
, according to our sister network NBC Los Angeles.
The truck had two 100-gallon tanks of compressed natural gas, the fire department said.
A fire department inspector looks at the remains of a truck that exploded in Los Angeles, on February 15, 2024. Associated Press
"This vehicle has the particularity that it does not run on diesel or gasoline, but is powered by CNG or compressed natural gas," fire captain Erik Scott told the local NBC station.
"The explosion was significant. The flames were very high," he said.
A total of 10 firefighters were sent to the scene.
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Prange
did not know the condition of the truck driver
, but noted that the explosion occurred 13 minutes after the fire was reported.
"I hope the driver was not in the truck [at the time of the explosion]," he declared.
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A video taken from a television station helicopter revealed that the truck was completely destroyed.
A small flame was still burning in the mangled remains more than an hour after the explosion.
The truck was completely destroyed by the explosion, which occurred in Los Angeles, California, on February 15, 2024. Associated Press
The explosion occurred
next to an industrial area
separated from a neighborhood by a wide street and a railway line.
Wilmington is 18 miles south of downtown, near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.