A Los Angeles firefighter who nearly lost one of his ears in an explosion while fighting a wildfire has been released from the hospital and is back with his family, authorities said Tuesday.
The firefighter had been flown to Northridge Hospital after his ear was “almost completely severed,” but a doctor was able to reattach it, said Erik Scott, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The firefighter will require extensive follow-up care but was released to friends and family, Scott said.
On Monday afternoon, crews responded to a brush fire at a homeless encampment near Burbank Boulevard and Woodley Avenue, LAFD spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said. An explosion occurred and 10 other firefighters near the explosion suffered headaches, ringing in the ears and possible shrapnel wounds. Most were evaluated at the hospital and released without serious injuries, but one was seriously injured.
The explosion was caused by a propane tank, Los Angeles Police Officer Kevin Terzes said.
The flames were extinguished in about 30 minutes and about 80 firefighters responded to the fire, Kelley said.
The fire department's arson section was on scene sifting through debris Tuesday, observing burn patterns and interviewing witnesses to determine what sparked the fire, Scott said. The investigation is ongoing. Crews are also working closely with the Los Angeles Police Department and its bomb squad due to the “encounter of several suspicious objects.”
No civilians were injured in the fire or explosion.
“These are some of the inherent dangers of this chosen profession as things continue to change,” Scott said. “We're used to explosions in structure or garage fires or ammunition explosions, but not normally in wildfires.”
