Blast occurred in Wilmington neighborhood as spokesperson says ‘the ball of flame was as high as the telephone poles’

A truck’s fuel tank exploded on Thursday in a Los Angeles neighborhood, sending a fireball into the air and injuring nine of the 10 firefighters responding to the blaze, including two critically, fire officials said.

All nine firefighters were rushed to Harbor-UCLA medical center and were stabilized, and one of the critical patients had to be intubated and airlifted to a burn unit at Los Angeles General medical center, said Dr Molly Deane, a trauma surgeon.

Karen Bass fears ‘someone’s going to fall or be pushed’ from Oceanwide Plaza, used by graffiti artists and parachutists

An abandoned high-rise tower in downtown Los Angeles has become a magnet for graffiti artists and parachuting stunts, leaving city officials furious.

“This isn’t art. It’s a crime,” Los Angeles police chief Michael Moore warned on Monday, saying the police were remaining at the site of the half-built development “as the city mobilizes resources to remove the graffiti and fortify the location”.