Person killed in Simi Valley house fire after fireworks explosion, firefighters say

One person is dead after a fireworks explosion at a Simi Valley home on Thursday, firefighters said.

The explosion happened in the garage of the home in the 1600 block of Edmund Street before noon, just hours before the Fourth of July.

The flames then spread into the attic and the main home, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

Crews discovered an unidentified person dead after they extinguished the fire.

The intensity of the house fire shocked neighbors.

"It was just a big explosion. I have an office window that faces there and I looked out, and I came right out and I could see the garage had collapsed," said neighbor Thomas Kudlick. "At this point there wasn't any smoke or fire, but within minutes there were more explosions and more smoke and fire. Probably 20 or so explosions overall."

The neighborhood had to be evacuated because the explosion sent debris flying in multiple directions.

Video from AIR7 showed the damage from above, including the home's collapsed roof.

Firefighters said large illegal fireworks were discovered in a pickup truck in the driveway.

Now, the VCFD is warning those who plan on lighting fireworks on the Fourth of July.

"For anybody out there that has already purchased fireworks, I understand that when you made that decision you thought this is going to be safe fun and enjoyable, but what we see here today and what we see every year with people being injured, burns, losing parts of hands fingers and worse-that you would feel terrible if the following day one of your friends or family were injured," said VCFD's Scott Thomsen.

The fatal victim's identity was not immediately released.

This fireworks incident remains under investigation.