LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles city attorney on Friday filed more than 300 criminal charges against the owners and operators of four downtown buildings after a massive explosion in May burned 11 firefighters.
Prosecutors allege the defendants illegally stored hazardous materials and endangered public health.
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The criminal charges come from an investigation of the May 16 explosion inside an East 3rd Street warehouse by the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the Los Angeles Police Department and other agencies.
The blast occurred in a section of downtown nicknamed “bong row” because of the concentration of retailers selling rolling papers, butane and other supplies associated with vaping and tobacco.
“The fire and explosion that ripped through the Boyd Street property caused our firefighters great suffering — and came perilously close to costing their lives,” City Atty. Mike Feuer said in announcing the criminal charges. “We’ll do everything we can to hold the owners and operators of buildings and businesses responsible for complying with our fire and safety codes. The public is counting on us to protect them from a potential catastrophe.”
The explosive fire allegedly started at 327 Boyd St., a building owned by Steve Sungho Lee that is the location for businesses Smoke Tokes, Green Buddha and Bio Hazard. It quickly spread to 325 E. Boyd St., also owned by Lee and where Green Buddha and Bio Hazard also allegedly operate. Lee was charged with 36 counts for violations at 327 Boyd St. and 50 counts for violations at 325 Boyd St., according to the charges revealed Friday.
Lee has been charged with 46 additional counts for violations at 309 S. San Pedro St. and three more counts for violations at 5719 S. Avalon Blvd. Lee could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prosecutors allege all the locations illegally stored hazardous materials.
In addition to the building owner, Smoke Tokes, as one of the operators of the properties, has also been charged with 36 counts for violations found at 327 Boyd St. and 46 counts for violations found at 309 S. San Pedro St. Green Buddha, which is owned by Smoke Tokes, and Bio Hazard are charged with 36 counts for violations at 327 Boyd St. and 50 counts for violations found at 325 Boyd St.
The center of the initial fire at 327 Boyd St. that led to the explosion was where prosecutors alleged the most egregious violations occurred. Prosecutors allege there was a conspiracy to endanger public health, which included such violations as failure to maintain aisles, failure to have hazmat warning signs, failure to have no smoking signs, failure to classify hazardous commodities. Much of the materials storage, the criminal filings allege, was unpermitted.
Ian Soriano, a 13-year Los Angeles Fire Department veteran who was still wearing some protective coverings on his hand and leg to protect burns he suffered months ago, said the scene “looked like a war zone” as he and others tried to escape a blast that caused a 30-foot fireball to burst from the structure.
Soriano was one of several firefighters who had to escape from the roof of the building and remembers clinging to a ladder as flames shot up around him.
“When I was stuck, and I couldn’t move, I was like, I’m done,” Soriano said. “I’m dying right here.”
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