Photo: Getty Images North America
Authorities in L-A say illegal fireworks seized at a South Los Angeles home exploded Wednesday evening, damaging nearby homes and cars and injuring at least 16 people, three of them seriously.
Police had called in a bomb squad after a tip led them to seize some 5,000 pounds f illegal home-made and China-manufactured pyrotechnics. One man was arrested on suspicion of possessing fireworks and destructive devices and also on suspicion of child endangerment because two children were found at the home. Some of the fireworks appeared to be large mortar-sized devices used for commercial purposes. The fireworks were placed into an LAPD tractor-trailer and hauled away for disposal but at some point, some of the devices that had been placed inside an armored container on an LAPD big-rig exploded in a burst of flame, demolishing the truck.
(Photo Getty Images)