Two dead after explosion of fireworks at Ontario home

Two people died after a massive explosion caused by fireworks at a home in Ontario that shook a residential neighborhood on Tuesday.

Ontario Fire Department Chief Ray Gayk told a news conference that commercial fireworks started the fire on a 1-acre residential lot near West Francis Street and Fern Avenue. The fire department’s bomb squad is cleaning up the area, and several agencies, including the FBI, are investigating the incident.

“They are commercial-grade,” said Gayk, “as you would normally see at the fireworks show.”

The two people who died in the blast were not identified until Tuesday night. Their bodies were not removed from the scene, officials said, citing ongoing dangerous conditions.

Gayk said a horse was injured in the explosion. The KABC-TV channel 7 video showed a horse, spotted with black soot, trotting around the property after firefighters freed him from the wreckage of a building.

Residents of a vast area reported hearing the explosion and feeling the ground shake just before 1 pm.

The Ontario Fire Department has issued an evacuation order to neighboring properties on West Francis and West Maple streets, between Fern and San Antonio avenues.

The city tweeted that a large cache of fireworks lit up in the house, setting fire to the residence. The smoke can be seen from as far away as Anaheim.

Two structures on the same lot – a house in the front and one in the back – were engulfed in flames after the explosion, said Dan Bell, a spokesman for the city of Ontario.

“The roof is gone, burnt,” Bell said of the back property. “The one in front – I was on the street; I could see the flames coming from the roof. It will probably be a total loss. “

Investigators did not enter any of the structures on Tuesday due to the danger posed by the remaining fireworks.

“We hope to be able to step in and start this investigation process and get these neighbors home as soon as possible,” said Bell.

At around 5:40 pm, someone behind the electrical tape shouted “Fire!” while more fireworks burst from inside the blast area and the flames burned. Firefighters started pouring water on the property. The neighbors were concerned about the possibility of another explosion.

Around 7 pm, firefighters still did not find it safe enough to bring teams to the burning property. With outbreaks occasionally sending flames into the air, the units were placed back in a defensive position around the perimeter.

“The reason for this is that the debris field was larger than we originally expected,” Gayk said during a press conference in the evening. “And very cautiously, we wanted to make sure that all of our people were safe.”

Authorities can take up to four days to declare the area safe, said Ontario police chief Michael Lorenz.

Dozens of residents in the immediate area of ​​the blast were prevented from returning to their homes. Bell said city officials would provide housing for those who needed it overnight. The evacuees were advised to seek help with accommodation at an evacuation post set up in the De Anza Community and Adolescent Center at 1405 S. Fern Ave.

Jennifer Nalbandian, 43, said she was sitting on her living room sofa when the initial explosion, which she said looked like an earthquake, rocked her home.

“My daughter said to me, ‘No, Mom, I think it came from heaven,'” said Nalbandian. She started to pick up things that had fallen in her apartment. Then she opened the front door.

“The explosion pushed me back and the window crashed,” she said. “I was hit by the subsequent explosion when I opened the door.”

The structures that were destroyed in the blast were visible from their balcony, Nalbandian said.

“Fireworks always explode here. This shook the entire apartment from left to right, ”she said.

Oscar Vargas Ibarra, 17, who lives two houses from the blast site, said he and his brother ran to the door when the first explosion occurred. They grabbed their dog before running out into the street. When the second biggest explosion happened, “it was when everyone ran, they ran to save their lives,” said Oscar.

Some neighbors were aware of the fireworks in the neighborhood long before Tuesday’s explosion. Oscar said he knew that the people who lived in the house now on fire had “some fireworks”, but he was unaware of the extent of his stock.

“They always display them, sometimes at random, like at night shows or on a holiday,” he said.

Flying debris smashed overturned windows and televisions in Oscar Martinez’s house, a few houses from the blast site. Martinez and six other members of his family were not injured, but the 21-year-old was shaken. He said that fireworks go off in his neighborhood every few weeks, usually around midnight.

Although Ontario police received numerous calls about fireworks in the area, Lorenz said on Tuesday that he had not received a complaint about the property that caught fire.