Illegal L.A. firework show goes awry, killing one, destroying several homes

One person was killed and four homes were destroyed in Los Angeles on Thursday night after an illegal fireworks show went awry.

More than 130 firefighters were called to the Pacoima blaze, which began around 9 p.m. As they arrived, fireworks were exploding high into the sky, forcing them to stay back at a safe distance.

“This structure fire also was involving a significant amount of fireworks that were being stored there and these fireworks were raining all upon the neighbourhood,” David Ortiz, a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) public information officer, told ABC 7.

Three homes were already on fire when first responders arrived, but the explosion of active fireworks that were being stored in the detached garage of one of the homes caused an additional home to catch fire.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze in just under an hour.

The LAFD said a 33-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition, and four other people suffered smoke inhalation but declined transport to the hospital. Several animals were injured as well, the L.A. Times reports.

2:30 Emergency services urge residents to use safety around fireworks

On Friday morning, the department confirmed that a man in his mid-30s died.

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“I felt almost like the impact, you feel it. And as soon as I heard that, I turned the street to see if anyone needed help and more fireworks started going off,” one resident told KABC-TV. “It felt like an explosion…the fireworks started going off and sooner or later all these fires started coming.”

Fireworks are illegal in Los Angeles, and earlier this week, the LAFD issued a reminder urging people to refrain from hosting private fireworks shows.

“If you are storing or considering using fireworks this weekend, we beg you to reconsider and attend a professional show,” the department posted on Instagram following Thursday night’s fire. “The most immediate way to render your fireworks inert is to soak them in water. Please step up and take care of your loved ones, pets, and neighbors.”

Thursday evening’s fire was just the latest in a string of similar incidents in California leading up to the Fourth of July weekend.

On Tuesday night, a massive explosion engulfed a fireworks warehouse outside Sacramento, causing scattered debris and a huge, smoky fireball. Seven workers remain missing, days following the blaze.

0:37 Huge explosion at California fireworks factory caught on camera

And, according to the L.A. Times, one person was killed Thursday morning in a fire caused by fireworks in the garage of a Simi Valley home.