Two members of the Los Angeles Fire Department are “making progress” after suffering critical injuries while battling a truck fire that led to an explosion Thursday, a department spokesperson said.

Nine firefighters were injured in Wilmington by the catastrophic explosion of a compressed natural gas tank used to power the truck, including two who were hospitalized, fire officials said.

One of these firefighters was fired

from the hospital

Friday evening, and another is “critical but stable” and remains in the intensive care unit at Los Angeles General Medical Center, where a burn unit is managed, Erik Scott, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said in a statement Saturday .

The latter firefighter was taken off a ventilator, Scott said.

“With happy hearts and a sense of relief, we are pleased to report that our most injured #LAFD #firefighter was successfully extubated this morning. He is awake, alert and talking. Next steps will be to introduce food as tolerated” , says Scott. posted on X.

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The other seven firefighters “are on various medical appointments and remain off duty due to their injuries,” Scott said. Some firefighters suffered burns, blunt trauma, shrapnel injuries and hearing problems from the explosion, he said.

The cause of the explosion, which sent 30-foot flames into the air early Thursday morning at 1120 Alameda St., remains under investigation.

Firefighters responded

to the stage

after receiving a call that the truck had caught fire. The driver was uninjured and told officials she stopped driving after noticing “abnormalities” in the vehicle.