Firefighters injured in Wilmington truck explosion file lawsuit [Video]

When Los Angeles firefighters arrived at the scene of a vehicle fire earlier this year in Wilmington, they found a semi-truck fully engulfed in flames.

But they were unaware that the truck was a ticking time bomb.

Firefighters had positioned their vehicles around the fire that was burning two large compressed natural gas tanks that helped power the vehicle. Minutes later, the truck exploded, injuring nine firefighters, including two critically, according to a new lawsuit filed against the trucking company and others.

Seven of the firefighters filed the lawsuit, which also names the manufacturer of the gas tanks and fuel system along with the truck driver, on Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The firefighters accuse Costa Mesa-based Hexagon Agility, Daimler Truck North America and several other companies with negligence, strict product liability over the design of the tanks used to transport the compressed natural gas and similar complaints for damages.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a report of …