MAYWOOD, Calif. (AP) – The Latest on a magnesium fire burning in a Los Angeles suburb (all times local):
5:35 p.m.
Fire officials say an explosive, magnesium-fueled warehouse fire that forced 300 people from their homes near Los Angeles is out.
Los Angeles County fire officials announced Wednesday that the blaze at a metal-recycling plant in Maywood was basically extinguished after crews found that thousands of pounds of magnesium shavings had burned.
The blaze early Tuesday ripped through the recycling plant and another building, and the magnesium exploded into combustion when crews poured water on it. There also were lead, other metals and various chemicals in the building.
The fire sent fumes over the neighborhood. More than 130 people spent the night at a shelter.
Authorities are now testing ash in the neighborhood to make sure there’s no lingering health hazard. That’s expected to take several more hours but once the all-clear is given, people can return to their homes.
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10 a.m.
Los Angeles County fire officials say a fire that erupted early Tuesday in a metal recycling yard continues to burn as it feeds on 10,000 pounds of magnesium shavings.
Authorities said Wednesday they plan to allow the magnesium to be consumed until they can obtain enough of a special substance used to snuff out magnesium fires.
Water can’t be used on the blaze in Maywood because it causes explosive reactions like the massive blasts that rocked the small city in the early stages of the firefighting.
Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp says water had to be used at that time to stop the fire as it spread in three directions toward other businesses and adjacent homes, which were evacuated due to fear they would go up in flames.
Three hundred people were forced out of their homes and Tripp says they won’t be allowed back until safety is assured. More than 130 are being cared for by the Red Cross at an evacuation center.
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A fire that gutted a business containing metals and sent the stench of smoke across Los Angeles is still smoldering a day after authorities decided to allow the blaze to burn itself out.
Robert Diaz of the Los Angeles County Fire Department says about 30 firefighters remain at the scene Wednesday in Maywood, southeast of downtown LA.
Diaz tells City News Service that evacuation orders remain in place. About 300 people were evacuated at the fire’s height Tuesday, when explosions erupted at the facility. No injuries were reported.
Officials say the facility contained a range of materials, including metals such as magnesium.
The cause is under investigation.
The fire came hours after another blaze near downtown killed five people who were not supposed to be in a vacant office building.