Bomb squad ‘miscalculated’ in fireworks blast that damaged homes, L.A. chief says

“Human error” by a Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad led to a June 30 explosion of illegal fireworks that rocked a neighborhood, damaging homes and flipping vehicles, police say.

Officers at a South Los Angeles home where a large cache of illegal fireworks was found decided to detonate some that were “leaking” and unsafe to move, KTLA reported.

They loaded the fireworks into an iron containment vessel to be destroyed, Chief Michel Moore said Monday at a news conference, KABC reported.

The bomb squad thought it had loaded 16 pounds of fireworks into the vessel, which is rated for up to 25 pounds of explosives, KTLA reported. Instead, it had loaded 42 pounds, Moore said.

The resulting explosion injured 17 people, flipped vehicles, shattered windows and damaged homes, forcing some residents to relocate, McClatchy News reported.

The blast blew off the 500-pound lid of the containment vessel, which was later discovered in a yard three to four blocks away, according to the publication.

“We have miscalculations that are significant,” Moore said, KABC reported. A federal investigation of the incident is continuing.

Moore said bomb squad operatives had estimated the weight of the fireworks by slicing into two samples rather than physically weighing the fireworks, KTLA reported. The incident has already resulted in policy changes in the department.

“I want to personally express my apologies to every resident, business operator and customer that was dramatically impacted by this incident,” Moore said, KTLA reported.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Arturo Ceja III, 27, on July 3 on suspicion of transporting explosives without a license in connection with the incident, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Ceja told police he had purchased the fireworks in Pahrump, Nevada, for resale in California, KCBS reported.

In all, police had found 16 tons of illegal explosives at his home, McClatchy News reported.

This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Bomb squad ‘miscalculated’ in fireworks blast that damaged homes, L.A. chief says."