Los Angeles firefighter loses ear in ‘suspicious’ blast at homeless camp
A Los Angeles firefighter’s ear was blown off when a “suspicious device” exploded in a homeless encampment, according to a report.
The injured smoke-eater, who has not been identified, was one of 200 who responded to the blaze, which broke out around 1:30 p.m. along a half-acre stretch of a tent city in the Sepulveda Basin, a nature preserve in Encino, the LAFD said Tuesday.
The intense flames reached as tall as 4 feet and firefighters battled “triple-digit temperatures” when the blast went off.
“During engagement, the blast from an explosion of unknown origin sent a firefighter from one of the first responding companies to the ground with head trauma,” the department said.
The smoke-eater’s ear was completely severed by the force of the explosion, insiders told ABC 7.
Video showed the firefighter walking unassisted to a waiting helicopter before being airlifted to the hospital — where medical professionals successfully reattached their earlobe.
Ten other firefighters were injured in the explosion, but all were treated at the scene for their injuries.
All — including the severely injured firefighter — have since been released from the hospital and are recovering at home.
Initially, fire experts believed the inferno was caused by a propane tank that was being kept at the homeless encampment before suspecting that a grenade caused the blast, LAFD and LAPD officials told The Post.
Now, investigators are calling the cause a “suspicious device,” a spokesperson for the LAFD said.
The LAPD confirmed that investigators do not suspect criminal activity at this time.
The cause of the brush fire — and the dangerous explosion — is being probed by the LAFD’s arson division.
