LAFD to inspect vape and smoke shops following downtown explosion that seriously injured several firefighters

May 20, 2020

The Los Angeles Fire Department will launch a citywide review of the way certain businesses store volatile materials after an explosion seriously injured several firefighters in a downtown corridor that some consider a haven for supplies used in the creation of unlicensed cannabis products.

Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said Tuesday that every fire station in Los Angeles will work to identify businesses similar to Smoke Tokes, an East 3rd Street wholesaler that went up in flames Saturday night.

An explosion there left a dozen firefighters injured, including several who were severely burned. Carbon dioxide and butane canisters were found inside the building, though investigators have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, authorities said.

"Those types of businesses pose a threat to the people who work there, the public that goes there, and firefighters if they have to respond there," Terrazas said.