Dangerous fire fighting conditions in cannabis labs
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FIVE FIREFIGHTERS INJURED AT BLAZE IN DOWNTOWN L.A. INDUSTRIAL BUILDING HOUSING CANNABIS OPERATION
Five firefighters were injured Saturday morning March 9, in downtown Los Angeles, when fire tore through an industrial building housing a non-permitted cannabis operation.
Text and photos by the Los Angeles Fire Department. See video from the incident below.
The recent legalization of cannabis in several US states, all of Canada and several other countries who have relaxed their laws about the drug, has created new dangers for firefighters.
Labs which create oils from cannabis are often illegally operating without permits, and they handle butane gas, and many other potentially harmful chemicals in premises not safe or suited for such manufacturing. Often, the labs are housed in family homes, sometimes putting entire neighbourhoods at risk.
Many incidents with chemicals in cannabis labs in recent years
The LA Times wrote on March 9 that last month, a body was recovered from an explosive fire at what police described as a “clandestine” cannabis lab in South L.A. In 2022, at least four people, including two firefighters, were injured in an explosion at a makeshift lab in Orange County used to process hash oil, which is extracted from marijuana plants using butane.
A quick search on the internet will show dozens of incidents where complications and dangerous situations have occured i9n cannabis labs around the world in recent years.
Five firefighters injured by sulpheric acid
The Los Angeles Fire Department received a 9-1-1 call at 8:00 AM on March 9, 2024, reporting smoke at 1400 East Newton Street in the Central Industrial District of downtown Los Angeles.
Firefighters arrived quickly to find fire through the roof of a 9,100 square foot two-story industrial building.
As first arriving LAFD crews forced entry and commenced their initial attack on the flames, a sudden and unexpected shift of wind at the rear of the structure enveloped five firefighters in a caustic mist - later determined to be sulfuric acid, that caused them to experience a burning sensation to their faces and extremities, and in at least one case, respiratory irritation.
Pursuant to protocol, the five firefighters, without additional medical complaints, were taken to an area hospital in fair condition for initial medical evaluation before being released to secondary care.
145 firefighters extinguished the industrial fire
It took 145 LAFD responders under the command of Assistant Chief Melford Beard, just 56 minutes of largely defensive operations to fully extinguish flames that heavily damaged the 69-year-old brick structure.
With witnesses expressing belief that one or more persons may have been within the building when the fire erupted, a pair of LAFD cadaver detection canine teams were called to methodically search the building. Their multi-hour effort yielded no discovery of human remains.
No other civilian or firefighter injuries were reported, and no escalating or off-site hazards were identified.
The five injured firefighters are all expected to return to duty.
Monetary loss from the blaze is still being tabulated. The cause of the major emergency fire remains under investigation.