Residents displaced by South LA fireworks explosion say they're facing eviction from hotel

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's been three years since an explosion of fireworks in South Los Angeles displaced dozens of residents, and many say they're on the verge of homelessness.

The catastrophic explosion occurred in June 2021, leaving 17 people injured and damaging dozens of homes and vehicles.

Many affected by the blast were forced to live in hotels. Now, some claim they're facing eviction.

"We're very frustrated because as you can tell, the homes have not been repaired," said an interpreter for resident Ernesto Marquez during a press conference on Monday. "He says we're here to demand that the people who are staying at the hotel are allowed to stay there until their homes are repaired, and they're also demanding that the city provides affordable housing for all of the renters."

No one has been given formal eviction paperwork.

According to a statement from Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price, whose district represents the area, the city has not informed the hotel of any eviction plans.

"A settlement agreement is currently under consideration by the Council, which includes provisions allowing individuals adequate time to transition from the hotel," read the statement.

"We understand the importance of allowing people to return to their homes and resume their normal lives, and I am committed to facilitating this process with the utmost care."

That settlement will be discussed at Tuesday's city council meeting. The settlement covers about 90% of residents displaced from the explosion currently living in hotels.

What happened during the explosion?

The Los Angeles Police Department has admitted fault for the explosion, which happened after officers seized a massive cache of illegal fireworks and attempted to detonate them.

The bomb squad packed nearly 40 pounds of the most volatile and dangerous homemade fireworks into an armored containment vessel that was rated for only 33 pounds, according to a federal report. The fireworks were supposed to be detonated safely at the scene because they were too unstable to move but the vessel exploded, and debris rained down on scores of residences, businesses and vehicles.

The explosion injured 10 law enforcement officers and seven residents and damaged 22 homes, 13 businesses and 37 cars and trucks. About 80 people were displaced and some have yet to return to the neighborhood.

Federal investigators said that bomb squad technicians underestimated the weight of the explosive material because they gauged it by sight instead of using a scale, and also ignored the warnings of a team member who said the explosive material should be broken into smaller loads.

Four members of the bomb squad were later disciplined in connection with the incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.