LAist: DEVELOPING: Explosion in Downtown, LAPD Officer Injured

BrianHumphrey

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:09:43 -0800

...along with visiting LAist.com, anyone who wishes to stay on top of LAFD Breaking News can visit: lafd.org/alert Or if you Twitter... lafd.org/twitter Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service, Brian Humphrey Firefighter/Specialist Public Service Officer Los Angeles Fire Department

BrianHumphrey

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:49:06 -0800

Zach, Thanks for sharing word of what remains an active investigation. What we now know is that a uniformed male Officer in a marked patrol unit was driving down 3rd Street when he noticed light smoke coming from a manhole cover near Alameda. The Officer called for routine LAFD response, and we were on the scene in less than 5 minutes. As the LAFD Engine Company arrived, the Officer drove to the Fire Department's location and parked his patrol car to block traffic - and by happenstance, parked atop a distant manhole. Moments after he exited the patrol car (to point out the formerly smoking manhole to LAFD personnel), an explosion occurred in the manhole he inadvertently parked above. The forceful explosion damaged the undercarriage of his Ford Crown Victoria, but there was no fire. The Officer was not struck by any debris, but did complain of back pain, for which he was taken to an area hospital in good condition. 3rd Street remains closed between Alameda and Central as the City's Department of Water and Power investigates a spontaneous matter that appears to be purely within their domain. Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service, Brian Humphrey Firefighter/Specialist Public Service Officer Los Angeles Fire Department

db

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:37:17 -0800

And following up on Zach's earlier post, don't look for anything about this at the Daily News web site, where there's a photo of a poor little doggie wearing a sweater because, you know, it's so cold. News of the explosion is also absent from the LA Times web page, where they've got a very important story about Steven Colbert, featuring a photo of this portrait at the National Portrait Gallery.

Callie Miller

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:05:01 -0800

There are seven news and LAPD helicopters flying over my head right now in the Arts District.