SYLMAR- A small fire at a manufacturing plant, just before daybreak on Wednesday morning, resulted in a protracted Hazardous Materials Incident, requiring the evacuation of 220 people.
At 6:16 am, on October 19, 2011, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a reported "Structure Fire" at 12500 North Gladstone Avenue, in a mostly industrial section of Sylmar in the north San Fernando Valley. Having prior knowledge of the type of business, the facility's size (nearly 350,000 total square feet) and its contents, additional resources were requested, based on the "potential" the incident presented.
The fire erupted during a routine cleaning at "Spectrolab", a solar-cell, manufacturing plant for spacecraft power systems. Thanks to the quick thinking of the on-site, specialized cleaning personnel, the fire was swiftly extinguished and confined to one room of the facility. Despite that, there were extended operations by two LAFD Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Squads, as they worked to stabilize the extremely hazardous chemicals involved and ensure there was no danger to the building's occupants or the surrounding area.
The on-scene hazards triggered a significant response, with 122 Firefighters converging to the scene, as well as the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Health Hazardous Materials Division (LACo HHMD).
The Spectrolab workers that were present at the fire's point of origin, escaped without incident, as 15 other company employees were evacuated for precaution. All citizens in the surrounding industrial area were also evacuated. A total of 220 people were escorted to an offsite location for safety, while LAFD personnel prepared for entry.
Both HazMat Squads made entry, exercising every precaution. Special attention was given to the product containers, making certain they had not been compromised and that there was no danger of a product release. Additionally, all readings taken by the Squads came back negative and were determined to be within normal limits. The incident was then declared "static" and turned over to the building owner and the LACo HHMD.
There were no reported injuries or illnesses; however, one company employee was transported to a local hospital for precaution, in "good" condition.
The dollar loss has not yet been determined and the incident remains under active investigation.
Dispatched Units:
T98 E298 E98 RA898 RA98 E91 E275 T75 E24 EM15 BC12 BC15 E77 E77 E275 T75 E87 T87 E287 SQ87 E21 T21 E221 SQ21 BC10 BC15 E70 EM15 EM17 RA91 DC3 RA87 E289 T89 E91 DU98 T78 E278 HM75 RA75 RT83 CM3 HM17 E17 RA17 CM2 CP3 BC738 HS1 RA98 EM15
Submitted by Matt Spence, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
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