Five firefighters were hospitalized Saturday morning after noticing an unusual burning sensation on their faces while responding to a fire at an unpermitted cannabis operation in downtown Los Angeles.
Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said there was concern that the sensation may have been the result of chemicals burning inside the two-story brick building south of the Arts District.
“These were experienced firefighters,” he said, “who sensed something out of the ordinary.”
None of the five cited any other complaints, Humphrey said, nor did they have trouble breathing.
Callers who reported the fire along an industrial zone said it appeared one or more people may have been inside the burning building, Humphrey said.
Two cadaver dogs were sent to the scene, but there is no evidence anyone was inside.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department said there was concern that firefighters would have a reaction to burning chemicals inside the building south of the Arts District.
(Andrew Gombert / Los Angeles Times)
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Humphrey said, adding that it is unclear whether cannabis was being grown in the building or processed inside.
Last month, a body was recovered of an explosive fire at what police described as a “clandestine” cannabis lab in South Los Angeles. In 2022, at least four people, including two firefighters, were injured in An explosion in a makeshift laboratory. in Orange County used to process hash oil, which is extracted from marijuana plants using butane.
