LA firefighter killed in manhole explosion, 2 injured

Los Angeles: An underground explosion hurled manhole covers into the air Wednesday, killing one firefighter and seriously injuring another, at a building near Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

A firefighter was investigating an explosion that blew manhole covers off an underground electrical vault, when a second blast hurled more of them, which struck him.

He, a 10-year department veteran, was pronounced dead at the hospital, Fire Chief Douglas Barry said.

They also hit another firefighter, who was being treated for a fracture to his ankle and arm, authorities said.

A bystander suffered minor injuries in the explosions.

"We are deeply saddened by what happened today, the loss of one of our family members," Barry said. "These types of incidents hit us very, very deeply."

When the firefighters arrived around 2 pm, they saw smoke coming from several manholes that cover an underground electrical vault, Deputy Fire Chief Mario Rueda said.

Two covers were off when they arrived at a two-story building near Los Angeles International Airport.

They saw smoke coming from the back of the building and, when they approached, another blast blew the covers off, he said.

The explosions ripped through the stucco walls on a corner of the building, which houses the Water and Power Community Credit Union. Witnesses told KABC-TV that the loud blasts shook some buildings.

Witness Judy Johnson said she heard two explosions that happened about 10 minutes apart.

"I saw a fireman going down in a stretcher; he had blood going down his face," Johnson said.

"It appeared to be at least electrical in nature because of the substations that are underneath Sepulveda Boulevard, but we don't have a cause of the explosion at this point," Rueda said.

Rueda said there was "no indication, no evidence, that natural gas was involved."