Three deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were killed Friday morning after an explosion occurred at a department facility in East Los Angeles, marking the agency’s deadliest day in more than 165 years.

Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn were killed in an explosion Friday. They collectively held 74 years of law enforcement experience and leave behind 16 children between them.

A veteran investigator, a respected mentor and a skilled technician — the t hree arson investigators killed in an explosion at the Biscailuz Center in East LA were remembered as the “best of our department” by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department leaders.