Orange County Sheriff's Department Safely Detonates Explosive Materials Collected During July 4th Holiday
SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS (CBSLA) -- Orange County Sheriff's Department officials safely detonated explosive materials collected during the Fourth of July holiday.
The detonation took place in the western Santa Ana Mountains at the Frank R. Bowerman landfill on Wednesday, officials said.
Officials said the operation included 20 pounds of improvised explosives and the destruction of 20 lbs. of black powder, a chemical explosive.
O.C. Sheriffs shared on Twitter that the detonation had to be done for safety reasons, saying that "improvised explosives are susceptible to heat, shock and friction and cannot safely be stored, requiring an emergency controlled detonation."
Orange County waste department officials, the Orange County Fire Authority, and O.C. Health, were all part of the successful operation.
On June 30 around 7:40 p.m. at East 27th and San Pedro streets in South L.A., a bomb squad truck exploded in a South Los Angeles neighborhood during a botched detonation of illegal fireworks seized from a nearby home.
The explosion occurred after the LAPD had seized over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks.
Seventeen people were injured in the incident that police said was likely caused by a weight miscalculation of the explosives.
Neighbors have been demanding accountability, and so far, officials have offered social services and resources to those injured and displaced.
The officials who were on the scene at the time of the South L.A. explosion have also been removed from the field.
