Explosion in parked pickup truck rocks North Hollywood neighborhood

A North Hollywood neighborhood was evacuated Tuesday morning after a mysterious explosion blew out nearby windows and shook residents from their sleep.

The explosion occurred about 12:30 a.m. inside the cab of a pickup truck in the back of a home in the 11300 block of Miranda Street, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Mike Kammert.

Police and firefighters arrived about the same time and found the truck with its roof blown open and at least one propane tank inside the truck. Kammert said the LAPD bomb squad was at the scene to determine what exploded. Officials were focusing on the propane tanks as the likely source.

UPDATE: Residents return home after mysterious explosion

“It was a pretty good boom,” Kammert said.

There were no reports of injuries, but the blast shut down the neighborhood all morning. North Hollywood residents within 100 yards of the home were asked to evacuate – about 30 heeded the warning – or to shelter in place until the area was cleared, Lt. Todd Hankel told KTLA-TV.

A one-block area around the home has been cordoned off by police.

“It’ll probably be another hour or so. The bomb squad doesn’t move fast, which is probably a good thing,” Kammert said.

It was not immediately clear if the owner of the home or truck had been reached by police.

The home where the blast occurred suffered some damage, Hankel said. Police were investigating if the blast was criminal in nature, Hankel said.

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