One person was critically injured and a home partially collapsed after an explosion rocked a Pacoima neighborhood Thursday morning, officials said.
The explosion was reported at 9:01 a.m. in the 13500 block of W. Remington Street, where firefighters arrived to find light smoke coming out of the damaged home, according to an alert from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The explosion was initially believed to have been caused by fireworks, according to the alert.
One person, described only as a male in his 40s, was taken to a nearby hospital with burns and in critical condition. The resident told firefighters he was the only person inside at the time of the explosion, said LAFD spokesperson Lindsey Lantz.
A relative of the injured resident told officials four dogs were also believed to have been at the home at the time of the explosion, officials said in the alert.
Two of the dogs were safely removed from the home as of 10:30 a.m., Lantz said, and a third was found safe in the building. Fire officials are waiting for building and safety officials to arrive at the scene before removing the third dog and inspecting the structure. The condition of the fourth dog was unknown.
Officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department’s hazmat unit, arson unit, and officials with the Los Angeles Police bomb squad also responded to the home.
City building and safety officials were also called to inspect the structure, according to the LAFD.
