An explosion inside a meat market in an industrial area south of downtown Los Angeles has injured four people, two of them critically. Fire spokesman Matt Spence says something exploded at Bembis Meat Market at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and paramedics took four people to hospitals. Two of the people were in critical condition, and two in fair.

Spence didn't know what caused the explosion, but said there was no fire and no further blasts after the first. He says arson investigators are inspecting the site, which is standard procedure after explosions.

The blast occurred in a largely vacant industrial zone about a mile northeast of the University of California campus, near Interstate 110. There were no visible signs of the explosion from outside the market, with only a boarded-up hamburger stand nearby.

Source: Associated Press