‘Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!’: Hear firefighters’ calls for help from downtown L.A. fire
Firefighters were already en route when dispatchers received confirmation of heavy fire coming from a smoke shop on the 300 block of Boyd Street in downtown Los Angeles at about 6:37 p.m. Saturday, May 16.
“Everybody off of the roof!” one firefighter shouted into his radio moments later, at 6:39 p.m., as a massive explosion erupted.
Just seconds after that urgent warning, “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday” rings out in a recording of radio traffic during the fire.
AUDIO:”Everybody off of the roof!” a firefighter shouted as an explosion ripped through a smoke shop in #DTLA . They shed flaming coats and molten helmets as they ran. 11 firefighters were hospitalized. 2 had been critical, but all expected to survive as of Sunday @ladailynews pic.twitter.com/niepkS5Q6v
— Eric Anthony Licas (@EricLicas) May 17, 2020
“At this time we’ve got a massive explosion,” a firefighter told dispatchers as a fire engine horn blared just before 6:42 p.m. “We have multiple buildings on fire.”
Distress could be heard in the voices of first-responders as they assessed the casualties. Initial reports at 6:44 p.m. described six downed firefighters. The tally of those injured rose less than a minute later.
“We’re sorting it out now,” said a firefighter assigned to truck 9, the only team to suffer casualties during the fire. “We have eight firefighters, injured on the sidewalk,” he told dispatchers with anguish in his voice at 6:45 p.m.
A total of 12 firefighters were injured in the blast. At least two had injuries that were described as “critical” by authorities, but all were expected to survive as of Sunday evening.