LOS ANGELES (AP) — A massive explosion rocked a Los Angeles neighborhood as homemade fireworks were being destroyed by a bomb squad, leaving a trail of destruction, injuries and questions in its wake as the July Fourth holiday approaches. Seventeen people — including nine Los Angeles police officers and a federal agent — were hurt Wednesday night in the blast, which also flipped and damaged cars and smashed windows in homes and a laundromat. Experts say the explosion was highly unusual. The blast could have been the result of human error or a defect in the equipment like a micro-fissure that has grown with time and use. Or both.
