LOS ANGELES _ An explosion in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon caused a fire that spread to several buildings and left multiple firefighters injured.
The blast occurred at 327 E. Boyd Street, according to LAFD. It sent flames and plumes of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.
As of 7:45 p.m., video from the scene showed several firefighters on the rooftop of an adjacent building pouring water onto the burning structure and it appeared most of the flames had been extinguished. Smoke was still pouring from one building. The storefronts of several businesses were blackened, and one Los Angeles Fire Department fire truck was burned and covered in debris, apparently from the explosion.
It was unclear on the number of casualties, but the LAFD said on Twitter that up to 10 firefighters were "down" after the blast. Officials did not provide details on their conditions.
The LAFD said firefighters had arrived to reports of a one-story commercial building with smoke showing. The building is just south of Little Tokyo in an older business district of storefront shops on the eastside of downtown, near the corner of Third and San Pedro streets. The area is known for its variety of smoke shops.
