A series of unintentional fireworks explosions have occurred in California in the run-up to the Fourth of July. One person was killed in a Simi Valley home on Wednesday morning, and two others were badly injured in a Bay Area home in a similar incident.
According to department spokesperson Andy VanSciver, the Ventura County Fire Department was called to a home structure fire in the 1600 block of Edmund Street at 11:48 a.m., where a corpse was discovered in a smoldering garage.
Then, according to the city’s Police Department, at 12:18 p.m., police and firefighters responded to a house fire in Hayward that was caused by a fireworks-related explosion almost 350 miles up the coast. Two individuals in critical condition were sent to a hospital. According to the police, the house may have produced illicit fireworks.
According to VanSciver, 911 callers in Simi Valley claimed to have seen fireworks exploding from the house on Edmund Street’s garage.
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Due to the possibility of unexploded munitions, federal investigators are conducting a cautious search of the warehouse site.
VanSciver stated that the incident is being investigated and that it is unknown if the pyrotechnics caused the fire or if they ignited as a result of the blaze. The victim’s identify has not been made public.
Massive plumes of dark smoke rose into the air above the residential street as the fire swiftly spread, engulfing the garage, attic, and major parts of the house. As firefighters attempted to contain the fire, the Simi Valley Police Department advised the public to stay away from the area.
Due to the incident’s classification as a two-alarm fire, numerous fire engines and staff were required. According to VanSciver, crews were still on the scene as of 3 p.m. after putting out the fire at 12:42 p.m.
VanSciver advised all locals to avoid buying and setting off their own fireworks during the holiday and to let the professionals handle the shows.
According to the department’s website, fireworks are prohibited in unincorporated parts of Ventura County as well as in the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks. The VCFD’s fire safety experts strongly advise against using any kind of fireworks. We also want to warn you that using or possessing fireworks can get you fined or perhaps put in jail.
According to the Hayward Police Department, firefighters in Hayward responded to what they said was an unintentional fireworks explosion close to the 27000 block of Mandarin Avenue.
Crews arrived to discover a man with injuries consistent with an explosion caused by fireworks. The house and surrounding buildings were evacuated after a second explosion, according to the police.
The second explosion caused a fire in the garage, which firefighters were able to swiftly contain to stop the flames from spreading to the remainder of the house or nearby houses. According to authorities, a specialized team from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office was called in to assist in the safe removal and disposal of any explosives that might still be within the house.
The city of Hayward prohibits the use of any kind of fireworks.
CBS News’s aerial imagery revealed extensive damage to the building’s side and roof.
The occurrences occur two days after a fireworks warehouse in Esparato, a rural hamlet about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, was the scene of a fatal explosion.
Following Thursday’s catastrophic explosion, which started a 78-acre wildfire that crews were still attempting to contain, seven workers were still missing.
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