A massive cache of fireworks exploded in a house near Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon, killing two people and injuring several others as well as a horse.
The afternoon blast scattered debris and shattered glass throughout the Ontario neighborhood. Smoke was visible for miles.
“Part of my house fell on me,” neighbor Arlene Fiero told CBS Los Angeles. “Part of the door and part of the wall just collapsed from the explosion.”
Fiero told ABC 7 she had heard fireworks coming from the house all through the year and had even called the police.
“There wasn’t much they could do,” she said. “I guess they had to catch them in the act.”
Fiero recorded the scene from her home:
“I thought it was an earthquake,” neighbor Erika Rodriguez told KNBC. “It felt like 9/11.”
Other neighbors also captured the scene:
“They are commercial grade, like you would normally see in the fireworks show,” Ontario Fire Department Chief Ray Gayk said at a news conference.
Footage from above taken at night shows the home still burning:
As of Tuesday evening, the bodies of the two victims remained inside the home. The Los Angeles Times reported that the scene was still too dangerous to attempt their removal. A horse at or near the house was injured and rescued by firefighters.
Many homes in the surrounding streets had to be evacuated and residents were not permitted to return.