Explosion at LA building sends 2 to hospital

An explosion shook the basement of a Los Angeles high-rise on Thursday, leaving two people hospitalized, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Fire Department says the blast occurred shortly after 10 p.m. PDT in an underground part of the 19-story building on Wilshire Boulevard.

Upon their arrival, firefighters located evidence of an explosion and fire on the first subterranean level of the building. Two other people were checked at the scene but declined treatment.

It broke some pipes, flooded part of the basement, knocked out power inside the building and rendered the fire-safety system inoperable, but the structure itself appeared to be sound, fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey told City News Service.

Monetary loss from widespread damage to the building remains under evaluation.

Firefighters explained the building has been “red-tagged” as being temporarily unfit for occupancy by the Department of Building & Safety.

The explosion also caused reported power outages, including briefly at nearby Staples Center, where country star Shania Twain was performing. The cause is under investigation.