Explosion Destroys L.A. Apartment House

May 24, 2002
LOS ANGELES – A three-story apartment building in the San Fernando Valley was leveled Friday by a major explosion and fire. The FBI said there was no indication of terrorism.

L.A. firefighters found the building in Encino fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. They immediately requested reinforcements from surrounding areas. Eighty firefighters from 16 units were at the scene.

There were no initial reports of fatalities. Television images indicated it would likely be impossible for rescuers to search for any residents who might have been inside, although firefighters were going door-to-door to see if anyone was trapped.

Large chunks of concrete and plaster were strewn about in a debris field around the shattered apartment building.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, although a natural-gas leak was a possibility. The blast, however, came amid recent concerns from federal anti-terrorism officials that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda could have been plotting to fill apartments with explosives and detonate them.

"We have a bomb technician going to the scene with several agents, as is routine in a situation like this. But it's just a precaution. There is absolutely no indication there's any link to terrorism," said FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley.

The explosion was reported shortly after 11 a.m. PDT and was immediately upgraded to a third-alarm response, according to fire department spokesman Bob Collis.

"It sounded like an earthquake," neighborhood resident Ada Fallick told KNBC-TV.

Copyright 2002 by United Press International.
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