Evacuated residents of Pacoima neighborhood allowed to return after home explosion, controlled burn

PACOIMA, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Residents of a Pacoima neighborhood were allowed to return home Saturday after a home that exploded was intentionally set on fire in what officials called a controlled burn after "dangerous materials" were found at the property.

"We appreciate the patience and cooperation of the Pacoima community during this ongoing investigation," said the Los Angeles Police Department in a post on X. "Thanks to the coordinated efforts of all agencies involved, repopulation will begin at 5:00 p.m. today."

At around 5:50 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department announced that the evacuation order for the homes surrounding the Remington incident was lifted.

With the safety concern gone, Silviano Lopez and his daughters were among the dozens of families that were able to return home Saturday afternoon.

"I feel good for my kids. They were tired already of being at my mom's house. They we're like 'when are we going home, when are we going home?' Now that they're home they're happy," Lopez said.

They evacuated since the home first exploded Thursday morning.

A neighbor returning home Saturday told Eyewitness News the explosion felt like an earthquake and when she looked outside, she saw a man wounded.

"He was screaming saying 'help me, help me, I'm dying'. He had a hole on his neck the size of a baseball. So that's going to be horrible for him," she said. "It felt like I was in a movie. It didn't feel real."

First responders took that young man with burns on 50% of his body to the hospital.

"As far as we know, he is still in critical condition," said LAPD.

Investigators are not sure if the victim found on the damaged property is a suspect.

With the threat now gone, the ATF and Major Crimes unit will continue their criminal investigation.

AIR7 was over the scene around 11 p.m. Friday when crews set fire to the home, causing another large explosion.

The controlled burn stemmed from an explosion at the home near Remington Street and Remick Avenue Thursday morning. The blast is believed to have been ignited by fireworks. A man was critically injured with first-degree burns and the home was nearly destroyed.

By 8 a.m. Saturday morning, with the controlled burn almost completed, fire officials provided an update on the cleanup efforts.

Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Guy Tomlinson said a "tremendous amount of progress" was being made, with at least two streets reopened at the scene.

"The fire's slowly burning down through the entire structure, to make it safer for the investigation and safer for the neighborhood and the community," Tomlinson told ABC7. Environmental Protection Agency monitoring was being conducted at the scene.

"The air has been very clean since midnight last night, for the community," the assistant fire chief said, adding that berms were in place around the structure, "so that any water runoff from the hazardous material will be collected and stopped, so that the watershed was good to go."

Earlier on Friday, officials said evidence was found of chemicals used to produce fireworks, and Los Angeles police Chief Jim McDonnell said some of those chemicals would react explosively to water -- prompting the decision to do a controlled burn of the property.

Neighbors said they often heard fireworks popping off by the home that is now destroyed.

"All other options have been examined," Mayor Karen Bass said, regarding the controlled burn.

"Public safety leaders have made clear that it is unsafe to enter the property because of the unstable and dangerous materials inside," Bass said. "It is also unsafe to transport these materials elsewhere in the city due to the risk it would pose to all Angelenos."

Kenneth Cooper, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the incident was a "criminal investigation."

"This house is essentially a bomb," Cooper said during a news conference updating the public.

An evacuation was ordered for the area between Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Terra Bella Street, the Golden State Freeway and Pierce Street. A total of 60 homes were evacuated.

McDonnell said bomb squad personnel conducted an investigation and discovered chemical powders, containers, and other materials consistent with pyrotechnics, indicating evidence of illegal fireworks manufacturing.

The ATF is leading the criminal investigation into the explosion, McDonnell said.

"This is a dangerous situation, and all members of the public should avoid in or around this area until this situation is resolved," McDonnell said, adding that "anyone who interferes with this operation will be subject to arrest."

City News Service contributed to this report.