An explosion tore through a construction site on Van Nuys Boulevard in Arleta Tuesday afternoon, blowing out windows at a nearby apartment complex and sending people to area hospitals. Firefighters responded around 3:30 p.m. after reports of the blast, which authorities traced to a welding operation underway at the site.
According to NBC Los Angeles, two people were transported to a hospital while two others were assessed at the scene, and authorities said the hazard did not extend beyond the immediate area. CBS News Los Angeles reported the blast occurred in the 14000 block of Van Nuys Boulevard around 3:20 p.m. and put the number of injured transported to hospitals at four, with all injuries described as non-life-threatening. Nearby roads were closed following the explosion as crews worked to secure the area.
Multiple Agencies Called to Secure the Scene
Emergency officials also dispatched the Los Angeles Police Department and notified SoCalGas, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, per the CBS report, so crews could evaluate gas lines, power systems, and traffic detours around the site. The station's report does not specify which contractor or utility crew was performing the welding work at the time of the blast, and that detail remains unclear.
The explosion happened along a stretch of Van Nuys Boulevard where major street-level construction broke ground in July for LA Metro's $3.6 billion East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, a corridor Hoodline has covered as costs climbed toward 2031. The 6.7-mile rail line runs through Arleta, Pacoima, and Panorama City, and LA Metro awarded a $2.43 billion contract to a joint venture of Skanska and Stacy Witbeck to lead preconstruction and utility relocation along the boulevard ahead of main rail construction, according to Railway Track and Structures.
Hot Work Rules Govern Welding on Active Construction Sites
California workplace safety standards under Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations require construction employers performing welding or so-called “hot work” to inspect areas for flammable hazards, issue hot work permits, and maintain a dedicated fire watch during and after operations, according to the California Code of Regulations. Whether those protocols were followed at the Van Nuys Boulevard site, and whether a gas pocket or pressurized line played any role in the blast, has not been addressed in reporting so far.
The light rail project now under construction will restore fixed-guideway passenger rail service to the corridor for the first time since December 1952, when the Pacific Electric Railway ended its streetcar line there, according to Metro Magazine. In May, the LA Metro Board approved a $3.999 billion total project budget for the line, which is set to include 11 new stations and is targeted for completion in late 2031, per Streetsblog Los Angeles.
A Corridor Already Under Strain
Tuesday's explosion is not the first disruption to hit Van Nuys Boulevard this year. On August 4, a car-hauling semi-truck crashed into an apartment building on the 8900 block of the boulevard, displacing 13 residents and requiring SoCalGas crews to repair a broken gas line, CBS News Los Angeles reported at the time. Arleta falls within Los Angeles City Council District 6, represented by Councilmember Imelda Padilla, whose district also includes Van Nuys, Panorama City, and Sun Valley, according to the City of Los Angeles Council District 6 office.
Construction incidents are not new to the neighborhood. LAFD firefighters responded to a structure fire at an unoccupied, under-construction house on Lev Avenue in Arleta in June 2024, containing that blaze in 25 minutes without civilian or firefighter injuries, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of that response. No cause or responsible party for Tuesday's welding explosion had been publicly identified as of the latest reporting.
