exporter of rags and used clothing at 310 Souith Mission Road, by the Empire Bag and Carton Company at 1491 East Fourth Street and by the Wilbur-Ellis chemical fertilizer company building at 453 North Mission Road, which was destroyed. Arson was suspected. Explosion 1997. Four workers were killed and at least 25 others injured when a machine exploded with a powerful blast at the Imperial Toy Corporation factory at East 7th Street and Santa Fe Avenue and blew a hole through the roof of a building that had been built in 1913 by Henry Ford to be his first California auto plant.2020.''' On May 16, a fire at a smoke shop warehouse on so-called "bong row" (300 block of Boyd St.) turned into an explosion when "excessive quantities" of improperly stored butane and nitrous oxide ignited. The explosion injured 12 firefighter, several of them "severely." Criminal charges were brought against the two business owners, but were dropped after they plead guilty. Their company was found guilty of four municipal code violations. LAFD revealed they had never inspected the building. If inspected, the inflammable materials would likely have been removed according to Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas. See also Central Business District, Los Angeles (1880-1899) References External links Los Angeles Downtown Industrial District Business Improvement District Districts of Downtown Los Angeles Warehouse districts of the United States