A 17-year-old died following an accident involving fireworks in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Vermont Knolls, police said Thursday.
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the 400 block of W. 84th Street west of the 110 Freeway at around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of a teenager on fire, LAPD said. Paramedics arrived on scene and took the teenager to a hospital with severe injuries, where he died.
Police said the victim was playing with fireworks in the backyard of the home.
Several explosive devices were at the home, but law enforcement sources told NBCLA that the family involved said they were unaware that the teen had fireworks. Police said the fireworks might have been homemade.
The surrounding community was not evacuated. Neighbors said they heard loud explosions and saw smoke rising from the yard.
“Just like a boom,” one resident said. “Like a bomb. It’s not regular stuff they have over there.”
The LAPD Bomb Squad was also called to the scene to investigate the cause of the accident.
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