1 critically injured after illegal fireworks explosion, fire at Wilmington motel, LAFD says

WILMINGTON, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A man was critically injured and others were forced to evacuate after a fire involving illegal fireworks exploded in a motel parking lot in Wilmington on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said crews responded to Crescent Inn in the 1100 block of W. Pacific Coast Highway at about 8:30 p.m. for reports of multiple cars catching on fire in the parking lot. Firefighters found a large pile of fireworks at the scene, according to LAFD.

Video shot by a witness shows a car completely engulfed in flames outside the motel as fireworks go off. The car the victim was driving reportedly caught on fire, and the explosion of flames sparked a second fire in the area.

Because of the discovery of the illegal fireworks, about a dozen people were evacuated from the motel, and the bomb squad swarmed the area.

One person was rushed to the hospital in very critical condition, according to LAFD. Authorities say he suffered severe trauma.

"It sounded like a bomb going off. A couple of bombs... when I went to the door, the bright lights, the fire, the flames. Then I heard the guy yelling. He was laying on the ground, but nobody could get to him. A couple people had hoses, a couple people had fire extinguishers, but the extinguishers couldn't put that out," one witness said. "He was burning. He was yelling, moaning, and like I said, nobody could get close to him."

LAFD arson investigators responded to the scene.

It's unclear exactly what led up to the fire. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.