Pasadena Rescue Team Deployed to Mammoth Responds to Collapsed Condo Building Where 5 Were Injured

A Pasadena Fire Department Urban Search & Rescue team deployed to Mammoth Lakes to help authorities there with the large-scale weather-caused State of Emergency responded to an explosion at a three-story condominium complex on Wednesday morning that injured five people.

At about 9:35 a.m. Mammoth Lakes Police Department officers were called to an incident at the Val d’Lsere Condominiums at 194 Hillside Drive, where they discovered a building that had collapsed near the pool area.

Two workers on the scene were taken to Mammoth Hospital for treatment after being pulled from the rubble.

Pasadena Fire Dept. USAR 32 team members responded with other assisting agencies.

One victim was located near a significant propane leak. Pasadena USAR team members provided both manpower and their specialized equipment while rescue team members tunneled in and extricated the patient from beneath the collapsed section of the building.

Other Pasadena USAR team members helped search condominium units for more victims.

According to News 4 and Fox 11, a woman and her son were found in a condominium after the father alerted rescue crews. The son was taken to Mammoth Hospital, while the wife was rushed to CareFlight at Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

Teams were still on the scene Wednesday afternoon conducting additional sweeps for any additional victims. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation.

According to Pasadena spokesperson Lisa Derderian, the Pasadena USAR team was deployed Sunday night. It is comprised of six members, including two Captains, two Engineers, and two Firefighters, who are assisting the Mammoth Lakes Fire Department deal with the aftermath of devastating snowfall.