A firefighter was hospitalized following an explosion Monday during a brush fire at a homeless encampment in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the west San Fernando Valley.
The half-acre fire was reported in the 15700 block of West Burbank Boulevard. As firefighters entered the area of the encampment and brush fire, one was injured in an explosion.
The firefighter was airlifted to the hospital with "significant head trauma," according to Erik Scott with the LAFD.
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"The injuries to the firefighter are now considered to be serious but not life threatening," the LAFD said later Monday.
Ten other firefighters were being medically evaluated.
"Ringing in the ears, significant headaches, some shrapnel may have come out, but fortunately, due to the protective clothing, it was enough to block it," said fire Capt. Erik Scott. "One of our members did have significant head trauma and an ear that was is nearly missing at this point."
The injured firefighter's ear was re-attached. The firefighter was released from the hospital to recover at home.
Details about what exploded were not immediately available. What authorities described as a suspicious device was found at the scene.
"We're used to explosions in the fire service, in a structure fire, in a garage predominantly from a vehicle, but not so much from a brush fire," Scott said.
A water-dropping helicopter responded to the fire near the recreation area with two golf courses, a model aircraft field and park. No buildings appeared to be threatened by flames.
LAFD Alert- Sepulveda Basin Brush Fire 15700 W Burbank Bl MAP: https://t.co/dIw7HwIEoM FS88; DETAILS: Firefighter injured battling a grass fire in a homeless encampment https://t.co/AVMUEJk3Hs
— LAFD 🔥 (@LAFD) June 24, 2024
The NBC4 I-team reported in May that there were 13,909 homeless fires in Los Angeles in 2023, almost double the number of such fires in 2020, according to LAFD data. Los Angeles Fire Department data for the last five calendar years, obtained by the I-Team, showed the number of fires related to homeless people has been steadily climbing.
