Insecticide Foggers Explode, Sparks Fire in Apartment

UPDATED at 10:24 a.m.: The improper use of an insecticide fogger today caused a small explosion and fire in a Hollywood apartment, leaving one man with burns to 20 percent of his body, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

The incident at an apartment building at 1342 N. Fuller Ave. was reported at 7:49 a.m., said department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

The resident used 10 insecticide foggers at one time, contrary to the product instructions that limit the number of foggers that can safely be used simultaneously in an apartment-size space, Humphrey said.

“Typically, that would be one or two for that size of space and certainly not 10,” Humphrey added.

The combined force of the foggers caused a small explosion and a flash fire that lifted the ceiling and broke windows in the unit, Humphrey said. The victim suffered burns to 20 percent of his body and was taken to the hospital in fair condition.

The explosion and fire caused at $25,000 in property damage to the apartment, according to Humphrey.

--City News Service

PHOTO Patch file photo.