Two members of the Los Angeles Fire Department are “making progress” after suffering critical injuries while battling a truck fire that caused an explosion Thursday, according to a department spokesperson.
Nine firefighters were injured in Wilmington by the catastrophic explosion of a compressed natural gas tank used to power the truck, including two who were hospitalized, firefighters said.
One of those firefighters was released Friday night and another is “critical but stable” and remains in the intensive care unit at Los Angeles General Medical Center, which operates a burn unit, the official said in a statement. Los Angeles Fire Department Public Information Officer Erik Scott. Saturday.
This last firefighter had his respirator removed, Scott said.
“With a happy heart and sense of relief, we are pleased to report that our most injured #LAFD firefighter was successfully extubated this morning. He is awake, alert and talking. The next steps will be to introduce foods according to tolerance,” Scott published in X.
The other seven firefighters “have several medical appointments and remain out of service due to their injuries,” Scott said. Some of the firefighters suffered burns, blunt force trauma, shrapnel wounds and hearing problems from the explosion, he said.
The cause of the explosion, which shot flames 30 feet into the air early Thursday morning at 1120 Alameda St., is still under investigation.
Firefighters responded after receiving a call that the truck had caught fire. The driver was uninjured and she told authorities that she stopped driving after noticing “anomalies” in the vehicle.
