VIDEOS: A Los Angeles firefighter's ear has been surgically reattached after being severed in an explosion that occurred as he and his colleagues were responding to a brush fire near Encino.
The injured firefighter, who has not been publicly identified, was initially listed in critical condition after the blast. He was later upgraded to stable condition and released from the hospital, officials said.
Crews were called shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday to a homeless encampment in the 15700 block of West Burbank Boulevard near the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, where a grass fire had ignited.
Moments after first responders evacuated the area, a device near the encampment exploded, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews on the scene halted the spread of the brush fire in about 30 minutes.