L.A. building Rocked By Explosion

May 24, 2002 12:43 PM

L.A. building Rocked By Explosion A large residential building was rocked by an explosion and erupted in flames Friday. There was no immediate word on whether anyone was hurt. The blast hit the building in the Encino area of the San Fernando Valley about 11 a.m., Fire Department spokesman Bob Collis said.
posted by GernBlandston (36 comments total)

Also, on Fox: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,53660,00.html
posted by GernBlandston at 12:47 PM on May 24, 2002

That'll teach the seperatists.
posted by machaus at 12:56 PM on May 24, 2002

and what are we discussing about this?
posted by tolkhan at 1:04 PM on May 24, 2002

woah... i felt that.
posted by fnord_prefect at 1:06 PM on May 24, 2002

and what are we discussing about this?

Whether you'd rather be killed in an earthquake, wildfire, mudslide, drive-by, or building explosion.
posted by HTuttle at 1:13 PM on May 24, 2002

You know, just this morning on NPR there was a story on LAPD and LAFD's preparations for the possibility of terrorists renting apartments and blowing them up. Seems this strategy was suggested by intelligence reports.

We'll have to see if this was connected in any way. It could also have been just another Gen-Yer following his Fight Club muse.
posted by me3dia at 1:14 PM on May 24, 2002

pancakes?
posted by cheesebot at 1:15 PM on May 24, 2002

This "discussion" is premature, methinks.
posted by donkeyschlong at 1:15 PM on May 24, 2002

Whether you'd rather be killed in an earthquake, wildfire, mudslide, drive-by, or building explosion.

I'll go with mudslide, I'd have preferred whiskey, but its not on your list.
posted by malphigian at 1:27 PM on May 24, 2002

Nobody got worked up in the eighties when several LA buildings were repeatedly rocked by Def Leppard.
posted by Skot at 1:39 PM on May 24, 2002

oh man - thank you, Skot!
posted by modge at 1:51 PM on May 24, 2002

I think that was because those reports were entirely unfounded Skot.
posted by jonah at 1:51 PM on May 24, 2002

I just called my mom. The explosion was about a mile from her house, in an apartment complex near the Lindley Mall, (formerly the Town and Country). She said judging from the size of the explosion it seems unlikely that it was just a gas leak, but then I bet a year ago none of us would have even thought of a bomb.

Further details will follow, I'm sure.
posted by kfury at 1:59 PM on May 24, 2002

And while we're all rabblerousing in the dark, I'll note that the area, south of Ventura Blvd. in Encino is an affluent area, with a high semetic population, and a lot of prominent entertainment industry folk.

Then again, Michael Jackson lives around there too, so that's another potential target.
posted by kfury at 2:01 PM on May 24, 2002

I'll note that the area, south of Ventura Blvd. in Encino is an affluent area

For a sec, I read that as effluent area. Ew.
posted by stefanie at 2:08 PM on May 24, 2002

I read that as "effluent" area with a high "semantic" population. D-oh!

Could be some high-roller's meth lab going up.
posted by five fresh fish at 2:08 PM on May 24, 2002

On third thought, Encino, along with the rest of the San Fernando Valley, is seeking independence from Greater Los Angeles, so maybe this was terrorism. I wonder if the Los Angeles militia will occupy San Fernando towns until the unrest eases...

(joke, joke, and yes, joke. the FBI so far says there is no sign that this is any sort of terrorism and, considering that the explosion was on the third floor of a 3-story complex, I doubt it was anything tactical.)
posted by kfury at 2:10 PM on May 24, 2002

the FBI so far says there is no sign that this is any sort of terrorism

The FBI may say that but I am going to wait for Phoenix office's memo on this one.
posted by srboisvert at 2:30 PM on May 24, 2002

Don't a lot of potential Persian victims live in that area too, though?
posted by donkeyschlong at 3:11 PM on May 24, 2002

Persian rug victims that is.
posted by zpousman at 3:32 PM on May 24, 2002

I dunno, the first thing I think of when I hear of a residential explosion is a gas leak or drug lab, both of which can happen in any area.
posted by SiW at 3:45 PM on May 24, 2002

Here's the location. It's NORTH of Ventura Blvd., a somewhat less affluent area than the foothills to the South.
Note its close proximity to Magnolia Blvd., of P.T. Anderson's movie fame (as well as the lyric to Steely Dan's "Bad Sneakers")
Watch out for falling frogs.
(I just hope this link isn't considered too cartographic…)
posted by wendell at 3:57 PM on May 24, 2002

Wendell Wittler, I've heard of you.

I heard you were dead.
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 4:09 PM on May 24, 2002

Whether you'd rather be killed in an earthquake, wildfire, mudslide, drive-by, or building explosion.

I'd rather get run over by a potato picker.
Either that, or a steam roller.
posted by spilon at 4:19 PM on May 24, 2002

It is also on CNN.

Completely off topic, but it amuses me when you load up CNN.com, it starts off by loading up something like toolbar.twhat. My computer always hangs on that for a while, and I'm sitting there looking at .twhat and it looks like .twat which reminds me of .twot which is a frontbum.
posted by animoller at 6:33 PM on May 24, 2002

and it looks like .twat which reminds me of

Heh ... me too.
posted by donkeyschlong at 6:38 PM on May 24, 2002

Good friend of mine lives right across the street from the 'splosion... I called to make sure he was safe, and he was laying odds that it was a meth lab...
posted by magnificentsven at 8:24 PM on May 24, 2002

Er... if "twot" is a frontbum, what is a "twat" in your part of the world? 'cause in my part, "twat" is the frontbum, and "twot" is just plain silly...
posted by five fresh fish at 9:43 PM on May 24, 2002

Frontbum?

Oh my heck, what language are you speaking?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:08 PM on May 24, 2002

I think we're speaking polite British English...
posted by five fresh fish at 10:54 PM on May 24, 2002

Officials are saying it was a gas leak.
posted by sacre_bleu at 7:07 AM on May 25, 2002

'cause in my part, "twat" is the frontbum

Or according to Robert Browning, a nun's hat.
posted by CatherineB at 8:34 AM on May 25, 2002

We received a notice from our apartment manager about increased security due to a general terrorist warning. So now they're locking the laundry room and only giving keys to tenants. Take that, Bin Laden!
posted by mecran01 at 8:46 AM on May 25, 2002

Terrorists have been seen harvesting lint from lint screens all over the country and generally just lurking in laundromats. Apparently they plan some sort of Static Cling Attack the likes of which the world has never seen!

Arm yourself with Bounce! and Snuggle now!
posted by Kafkaesque at 11:49 AM on May 25, 2002

frontbum! you brits are hilarious. I have to say it didn't even occur to me to take that word literally; I honestly thought he was referring to some obscure computer related thing (I guess the dot in front of .twot) and was making a joke, like, "hah you thought it was going to remind me of a you-know-what but you're wrong!"

What in the hell "frontbum" could mean in a techie way I haven't a clue.
posted by mdn at 12:59 PM on May 25, 2002

I'm not British, but I use some British slang because I'm from the Commonwealth. Also, because it's much more amusing than American slang.

Five Fresh: I guess in New Zealand we have it backwards. We say twot for a fanny and twat for a dumbarse.
posted by animoller at 7:44 AM on May 27, 2002