A 13-year-old and his brother were killed in an explosion inside a Los Angeles apartment complex that aiuthortieis suspect was sparked by fireworks.
Carlos Hernandez, 13, was found dead inside the apartment, while older brother, Christopher Benitez, 24, was rushed to the hospital and later died from his injuries, family members said.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Christopher’s sister described the tragic blast as an “accidental house fire.”
She called Carlos “a child of god, and a big part of the church community along with his older brother” Christopher.
About 60 LA County firefighters rushed to the building on the 6500 block of Purdy Avenue just after 6 p.m. Tuesday following reports of the explosion.
An initial investigation of the scene revealed “materials consistent with homemade explosives and fireworks,” police later said.
“We thought it was an earthquake because the house literally felt like it went up, like it lifted,” Wendy Gutierrez, a tenant, told KTLA.
Gutierrez ran out of the kitchen to check on her children and found an injured boy.
“He was running from the house yelling and screaming, and I saw his foot, and he was bleeding,” she said. “I just held him and told him to relax. I tried to call 911, but I was so hysterical too,” she said.
The child was treated at the hospital and has since been released.