Fireworks explosion at Long Beach apartment injures 4 firefighters

A fire at a Long Beach apartment ignited a cache of fireworks, which exploded Friday and sent four firefighters to the hospital, authorities said

Residents at the Belmont Shore Condominiums in the 3900 block of Allin Street began calling in reports of smoke and fire about 8:20 a.m., said Long Beach Fire Capt. Jake Heflin. When fire crews arrived, they saw flames coming from a unit on the corner of the three-story building.

While firefighters were battling the flames, a strong explosion blew out part of a second-floor apartment’s windows and scorched the apartment above it, Heflin said.

The flames ignited several sets of legal fireworks that were being stored in the second-floor unit, which appeared to be vacant and used for storage, he added.

“There were four large explosions and multiple minor explosions in the unit where our firefighters were,” Heflin said.

After the fire was extinguished around 8:40 a.m., four firefighters were transported to a nearby emergency room for medical evaluations. Two initially reported minor burns and hearing damage. They were joined by another firefighter who reported hearing damage and a fourth who reported burns.

“The injuries to our firefighters appear to be minor at this point,” Heflin said.

No civilians were injured during the incident, officials said. Two people who lived in the third-floor apartment were displaced, Heflin said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.