BREAKING NEWS: Fire officials blame cable some 60 years old for Westchester explosion
I went to a news conference earlier today where fire officials explained why they believe a Westchester building exploded and killed a firefighter.
Fire officials blamed an aging electrical cable that overheated and smoldered underground, creating combustible
smoke that pressurized, blew manhole covers 20 feet high and collected inside a small room in a credit union office.
The spark created when Firefighter Brent Lovrien pressed his power saw against a metal door ignited the smoke and gases, mortally injuring him and blowing his partner, Anthony Guzman, back.
Similar copper and lead cable – more than 60 years
old and utilizing 1930s technology – runs for 15,000 miles underground
throughout the city of Los Angeles.
The story will come soon to Dailybreeze.com and the Saturday print edition.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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