Evacuations continue near toxic Maywood magnesium fire

MAYWOOD — About half of the estimated 300 residents displaced by an explosive Maywood warehouse fire might have to remain evacuated from their homes for at least another day, authorities said today.

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While half of the residents affected by the blaze have retued home, the other half remains evacuated, Lt. Alex Salinas of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s East Los Angeles Division told City News Service, as cleanup crews worked to ensure there were no lingering health risks before allowing those displaced to retu.

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Authorities permitted those who live on the south side of 52nd Street to go back into their homes Wednesday evening, ABC7 reported, but residents who live on the street’s north end -- closer to the site of the blaze -- were not immediately allowed to retu to their residences.

Fire authorities told the station that they wanted to analyze samples of the ash and residue that settled on local homes as a further measure of safety testing. Air testing was also underway in the area, officials said.

The three-alarm fire in the 3500 block of Fruitland Avenue -- which was essentially extinguished Wednesday -- ripped through a pair of commercial buildings early Tuesday, sparking a series of strong explosions and sending a thick plume of noxious smoke over the region.

Firefighters found flames shooting through the roofs of two structures, one of which was a metal-recycling plant. Crews began pouring water on the flames, but the oxygen from the water created a chemical reaction with the buing magnesium, one of the metals being stored at the facility and awaiting recycling, producing what one fire official described as “fireballs” and setting off strong explosions.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief John Tripp said fire crews realized Wednesday that most of the magnesium in the warehouse had bued, allowing crews to again pour water on the remaining fire without fear of more explosions. That essentially allowed them to make 12 hours of progress in two hours.

Many of the evacuated residents sought shelter at the Maywood YMCA. A sheriff’s official said 138 people spent Tuesday night at the shelter. About 60 were allowed to enter their homes Wednesday to retrieve some needed items.

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Dangerous conditions imposed by “tons” of chemicals at the site hampered firefighters’ efforts to douse the flames, authorities said. Firefighters were ordered to use breathing apparatus because of the fumes from the magnesium and a number of other substances at the business, officials said.

The fire was reported about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in a warehouse that serves Gemini Plastic Enterprises, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said that in addition to magnesium, other metals such as coppers, zinc and lead were present at the metal-recycling plant, along with chemicals and propane.

“We had some very violent, ferocious explosions in the facility,” Osby said.

Crews quickly went into a defensive mode, fighting the fire from the exterior, and were able to prevent the blaze from spreading from the two commercial structures that were destroyed to other businesses and nearby homes.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sent deputies from several sheriff’s stations to the site, and traffic was routed away from the area.

“The majority of the evacuations were mandatory (and) other residents voluntarily evacuated to safety,” according to the sheriff’s department.

A hazardous-materials team was sent to the scene, and officials from the South Coast Air Quality Management District were notified. The AQMD later issued a smoke advisory, saying odor from the plume of smoke was prompting complaints across the region.

Citing court records, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Da Xiong Pan, the owner of the recycling facility, was recently charged with multiple felonies for improperly storing and disposing hazardous materials at the site.

Pan, who owns Panda Inteational Trading Co. at 3570 Fruitland Ave., pleaded not guilty to five felony charges last month, according to The Times.