A veteran investigator, a respected mentor and a skilled technician — the three 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.

With decades of combined experience across a variety of units and stations, detectives Joshua Kelly-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn had deep law enforcement experience even before joining the Sheriff’s Department’s elite Special Enforcement Bureau’s Arson Explosives Detail.

“There are no words to express the pain and sorry we feel,” LA Sheriff Robert Luna said in a written statement in which he identified the three men late Friday. “These heroes represented the best of our Department, exemplifying courage, integrity and selfless service.

“This is not only a heartbreaking loss for their families, but for all of us,” the sheriff added.

Detective Kelley-Eklund first joined the department in 2006. After working assignments at the Pitchess Detention Center North and the North County Correctional Facility, he moved to the Lennox and South LA stations.

Kelley-Eklund mentored younger deputies as a field training officer before becoming a detective in the Narcotics Bureau and being assigned to the LA Impact Team. As part of that assignment, he spent years investigating complex crimes that led to large narcotics seizures and the arrests of murder suspects, department officials said.

Detective Lumus joined the department in 2003. He initially worked at the Twin Tower Correctional Facility, and in his off time joined the department’s Baker to Vegas running team. He worked a senior training officer and a detective at the Century Station and as a K-9 handler at the Special Enforcement Bureau.

Lumus was known for his mentorship and his arrests of career criminals, department officials said, and joined the Arson and Explosive unit last year.

Detective William Osborn joined the department in 1992, and after serving as the Men’s Central Jail moved to the Industry Station, where he rose to the rank of detective. Over more than a decade as an investigator, Osborn handled upwards of a hundred cases a year, and gained recognition for his skill at recovering stolen vehicles.

Osborn moved to the department’s training bureau in 2016, where he worked as an emergency vehicle operations instructor. But his love for investigations drew him back into the detective ranks, officials said, and he joined the Special Enforcement Bureau and the arson and explosives unit in 2019. He was considered a leader among his peers in the unit, officials said, often handling cases that involved damage to expensive properties or the loss of life.

All three men leave behind family’s, some of whom also serve in the department.

Det. Kelley-Eklund is survived by his wife, Jessica, and their seven children, officials said.

Detective Lemus is survived by his wife, Sheriff’s Department Detective Nancy Lemus, and three daughters.

Osborn is survived by his wife, Detective Shannon Rincon, four sons, and two daughters.

Information about memorial services will be announced in the coming days, officials said.