Wilmington Salvage Yard Blaze Scorches 105 Autos

WILMINGTON - An hour-long blaze in an automotive recycling yard torched more than a hundred vehicles Wednesday afternoon.

Los Angeles Firefighters were summoned at 4:48 PM on September 18, 2013 to multiple reports of vehicles burning at Apple Auto Dismantling, 2701 East Anaheim Street in Wilmington. Noting a large, black plume of smoke, the first due fire crews immediately requested additional personnel to respond.

Entering the large salvage yard, Fire Department crews found 15 to 20 cars already engulfed. The intense fire soon spread in the 150' by 200' area of tightly packed autos, requiring copious amounts of water and firefighting foam to douse the flames.

Nearly 70 firefighters under the command of LAFD Assistant Chief Ralph Terrazas were able to fully extinguish the blaze in just one hour. There were no injuries.

The fire was confined to the yard, damaging 105 autos. Fire loss was estimated at $450,000. The cause of the blaze is listed as under investigation.

Dispatched Units: E38 E49 E85 T85 E285 BC6 RA38 E36 E112 E248 T48 E264 T64 DC1 EM13 BC13 FT17 E17 T15 E215 E10 BC4 E11

Submitted by Katherine Main and Brian Humphrey, Spokespersons
Los Angeles Fire Department

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Large-Scale HazMat Averted on Rail Lines Near the Port

WILMINGTON - An inbound freight-train from Texas was discovered to be prematurely offloading one if its "intermodal" railcars, earlier today. The "stable, but flammable liquid" was identified as "Pentanol" and was seen pouring from what was described as a "small crease in its belly," at a rate of approximately 3-5 gallons a minute. The leak was discovered by a passerby, as the train sat idle, awaiting inspection. The cause of the leak was to be investigated by rail authorities.

The incident warranted a full response by the LAFD's Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Squads from the surrounding areas, including Squads 48, 95 and 21 as well as nearly 60 Firefighters. Upon arrival, Battalion Chief Gomez made the swift decision to close the 1300 block of North Alameda Street to through traffic from Pacific Coast Highway to Sepulveda Boulevard, as a precaution. The mostly industrial business area, however, did not require evacuation.

With the Squads in place and now ready for entry, the other elements of the HazMat response, including Decontamination, Fire Suppression, Rescue and a Medical Component, were also deployed. After being able to assess the problem up-close, the experts quickly determined it was a leak that could not be stopped. The Unified Command, with representatives from LACo Health & HazMat, LAPD, DOT and the Union Pacific Railroad, decided it best to bring in private "vacuum trucks" to offload the remaining product. These trucks were requested early, having anticipated the need and thereby reducing the wait time.

When the incident was finally declared static and the hazard abated, nearly 5 hours later, a total of some 4700 gallons of "Pentanol" were offloaded. Despite the hazards involved, including the 90 degree heat beating down on all members suited-up in their specialized equipment, there were no injuries or illnesses reported. More good news was the leak required minimal clean-up and had little environmental impact, as most if the product quickly evaporated.

DISPATCH UNITS:
E38 RA38 RA36 E40 T48 E248 SQ48 E94 EM9 BC6 E36 RA848 HM94 E95
T95 E295 SQ95 E85 FT36 EM6 RT40 RA857 BC13 E88 E49 SQ21 RA15 E85

Submitted by Matt Spence, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

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