Blast of Special-Effects Device for Movies Injures 3 in Burbank

An explosion Tuesday during the testing of a movie pyrotechnic device in the laboratory of a Burbank manufacturer of special effects left two workers and the firm’s owner seriously injured, fire officials said.

Firefighters received a report of a fire at Tri-Ess Sciences in the 1000 block of Chestnut Street but arrived to find an explosion had ripped through the building about 2:20 p.m., Burbank Fire Chief Ken Whittekind said.

The firm’s owner, Ira Katz, 72, was in stable condition at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, being treated for a broken hand and cuts, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The two employees, Leroy Thomas Hage, 23, and Fernan Fernandez, 29, were flown to County-USC Medical Center. Hage was in critical condition after undergoing surgery for a deep abdominal cut, said a County USC spokeswoman. Fernandez was in serious condition with stomach wounds, she said.

The firm’s 25 employees were evacuated from the building, and a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad was dispatched to investigate the cause of the explosion, Whittekind said.

The bomb squad determined that the blast was caused by the mixture of chemicals in the special-effects explosive.

“They were mixing a special effect and got two chemicals that didn’t mate together real well, and they created a hostile environment,” Whittekind said.

Authorities did not know which chemicals triggered the explosion but determined that the blast was accidental.

“We’re still trying to ascertain what the chemicals were,” Whittekind said. “Initially, we weren’t sure if it was a crime or an accident. But we’ve determined it was an accident.”

Kimberly Ridell, the company’s vice president, said this was the first time the testing of a screen pyrotechnic device by the company has gone awry. Damage to the building was estimated at less than $500, Whittekind said, and consisted of shattered glass and broken furniture.