Mayor Says Deadly Explosion Was 'Freak Accident'

CBS 2 - KCAL 9

March 28, 2008

The explosion that killed one firefighter and critically wounded another on Wednesday near LAX was a "freak accident," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Friday.

At a Friday press conference, the mayor said a series of explosions in the 8800 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard were likely the result of a combustion of high-voltage cables. The mayor made his comments at the site of the deadly explosion in Westchester.

The explosion that killed firefighter Brent Lovrien, 35, and injured his
colleague Anthony Guzman, 48, was the result of "a confluence of events
which have not happened in this city in nearly 20 years," Villaraigosa said.

"As mayor of the city, I'm solemnly committed to you that we'll
continue to ask the tough questions and report them to you in the most
transparent way possible -- committed to you that we'll take all necessary
steps to upgrade our power system and protect our neighborhood from incidents like this in the future," Villaraigosa added.

At the press conference, the mayor was joined by fire Chief Doug Barry, who said the injured Guzman, an 18-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department, had been upgraded from critical to serious condition at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood.

Guzman suffered multiple fractures and facial trauma in the explosion.

"We're hopeful that he'll have a speedy recovery," Barry said. Barry confirmed earlier reports that a power saw had been used to gain entry into a utility room in the midst of the explosions.

Unbeknownst to the firefighters, doors to the room contained "an electrical panel and, because they were locked and secured, firefighter Lovrien
used his rotary saw to make entry. During the course of making entry, the
explosion did occur," Barry said.

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