‘Booby-Trapped’ Auto Found Next to Fricker Fire Site

Fire officials said a “booby-trapped” car that was “set up to catch fire” suggests arson may have been the cause of the blaze at an Anaheim pesticide and fertilizer warehouse that spewed toxic fumes into the air and prompted the evacuation of 7,500 people.

“This is a suspicious fire,” said Darrel Hartshorn, a division chief with the Anaheim Fire Department. Firefighters found a car parked next to the Larry Fricker Co. warehouse that “had been booby-trapped” to catch fire, he said, adding, “It didn’t work.”

Hartshorn said the booby-trapped car was the same one that was suspected Wednesday morning of containing a bomb. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad was called to the scene, and firefighters were kept away for about four hours.

It was unclear whether the bomb scare and the booby trap were connected. In an earlier report, Anaheim city officials said no bomb was found in or under the car, a blue Cadillac that they said belongs to Fricker co-owner Paul Etzold.

Plastic Container

“It was a plastic container under the car. There was no explosive device attached to it,” said Anaheim public information officer Sheri Erlewine.

Hartshorn declined to comment further on the arson leads, saying it might harm the investigation.

The owners of Fricker are not suspects, said Anaheim fire investigator Michael Doty, who refused to comment further on the investigation.

Fricker attorney Peter C. Freeman said the company is not insured for the fire loss. Etzold was at the warehouse Saturday night “to make sure it was locked” a few hours before the fire was reported, Freeman said, but Etzold did nothing that could have inadvertently started the fire.

“I have no indication that my clients are suspects,” Freeman said, adding they had nothing to gain “on an uninsured loss.”

Fire investigators had not been able to enter the Fricker property until Wednesday, after the smoldering fire was finally extinguished Tuesday night. The fire scene had been off-limits to all but Orange County and Huntington Beach fire departments’ hazardous materials team members, as well as officials from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and members of a Coast Guard strike team.

Origin Believed Known

The fire at 1421 N. State College Blvd. was reported at 10:44 p.m. Saturday and is believed to have started in the company’s office. It spread to the warehouse, where chemicals continued to smolder for three days, some of them mixing together on the floor, fire officials have said. Until four tons of ammonium nitrate were removed from the warehouse Monday night, fire officials also were worried that the heated chemicals could explode.

Evacuated residents--some of whom had been homeless since Saturday night--were allowed back to their houses after 10 p.m. Tuesday. The area immediately around the warehouse, encompassing about 39 businesses, remained off-limits until 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, when all but nine of the businesses--including the Fricker warehouse--were allowed to reopen. Fire officials hope to allow three or four businesses north of the fire site to reopen this morning, but the others will remain closed through the end of the week, they said.

Four-Day Closure

After a four-day closure, State College Boulevard also was opened at 4 p.m. Wednesday. However, a two-block area near Via Burton and North Burton Place remained closed, as did an on-ramp to the westbound Riverside Freeway at State College Boulevard because EPA officials were concerned about chemical fumes possibly drifting near the freeway.

Firefighters and EPA officials continued to clean up the site Wednesday, as well as monitor for toxic fumes. The EPA has hired a firm to remove hazardous materials from the warehouse. On Wednesday afternoon, the materials were being placed in alleys and streets until officials identify the chemicals and decide how to store them for transport.

Fire investigator Doty would not comment on whether arson was the cause of the fire, but said that the federal Treasury Department’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bureau has been called to assist in the investigation.

‘Fact-Finding Mission’

William Newberry, ATF acting assistant special agent, said his bureau has the authority to investigate commercial arson fires. He said two agents have been assigned to the chemical blaze on a “fact-finding mission” to determine whether arson was the cause.

But city officials said they are investigating the blaze as a suspected arson.

“Essentially due to the nature of the fire, the situation that firefighters found on their arrival, the city is investigating this incident as a potential arson case,” city spokeswoman Erlewine said.

“It would be inappropriate for us to make further comments about the case because the investigation is really just beginning,” Erlewine said. “We have suspicions that this may be an arson incident. So we are going to treat this like an arson case, basically because of the circumstances involved.”

Added Anaheim Mayor Don Roth: “I’m alarmed at the several dangerous conditions that arson has caused in my city. It’s a very, very dangerous situation of people playing with fire. It could cost many, many lives and many catastrophes.”

In a prepared statement, the Larry Fricker Co. said Wednesday that it “sincerely regrets any injuries and inconvenience sustained by its business and residential neighbors, and by emergency fire, police and medical personnel at its Anaheim premises.”

Company’s Insurance Lapsed

Records kept by the state Department of Food and Agriculture show that the company was insured until mid-March.

A fire official who asked not to be identified said most pesticide warehouses around the state do not have insurance because it is hard to obtain and the premiums are prohibitive.

Without insurance, the company apparently must rely on its own resources to pay off any claims arising from the blaze and the subsequent evacuation.

Attorney Freeman said that filing for bankruptcy is “always a consideration” in such cases, but that “we have not gotten down to the brass tacks on that.”

According to county records, property taxes on the 1.5-acre Anaheim site are one year delinquent, and Etzold also owes about $5,500 in back taxes on other properties.

However, Etzold and two partners are due to receive about $1.8 million when escrow closes today on a parcel of property purchased by the City of Tustin. Fricker moved from the Tustin site about two years ago.

Indications of Illegal Processing

A captain with the Orange County Fire Department’s hazardous materials team said Tuesday it appeared the chemicals were haphazardly stored and there were indications that illegal processing had taken place.

But the Fricker statement said the premises were inspected by the Orange County Department of Agriculture two weeks ago.

“The inspection found that the company had complied with all applicable requirements of that agency, including proper storage and labeling of the products. No violations of safety requirements were noted by the inspector,” the statement said.

None of the chemicals “were stored in amounts exceeding those permitted by applicable law and sound judgment,” the statement said.

In addition, the fire is unrelated to a lawsuit by the Orange County district attorney regarding alleged improper storage and disposal of pesticides at the company’s former Tustin address, the statement said. The company “is vigorously contesting the allegations of that civil lawsuit,” according to the statement.

About noon Wednesday, Coast Guard strike team members were airlifted by helicopter from the Fricker premises so that they could handle a similar fire at a pesticide dealership in Thermal, Riverside County. County Fire Capt. Michael Rohde of the county’s hazardous materials team and Dr. Philip Edelman, medical director of the UC Irvine poison center, also were transported to the Thermal fire because of their recent experience at the Fricker site. Hazardous materials team firefighters from the county and Huntington Beach fire departments were on standby Wednesday to assist at the Thermal incident.

No Special Precautions

Robert Merryman, county environmental health director, said residents who have returned to their homes can consume food in the house with no special precautions, and that vegetables and fruits from home gardens should be washed as usual. Public water sources have not been affected, and no special cleaning is needed for swimming pools, linens, carpets, clothing, outside toys or air-conditioning filters.

Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy toured the site Wednesday morning.

The Board of Supervisors on Wednesday joined Anaheim, Placentia and Fullerton in declaring a state of emergency in the area affected by the toxic chemicals fire, making it easier to apply for federal funds to help cover business losses.

Paul Hess, manager of the county fire department’s emergency management division, said the move will allow a joint application for any state or federal assistance that may be available to help the businesses that were affected and shut down during the evacuation period.

County to Disburse Funds

Hess said the county would submit any request to the state, which will send it on to the federal government. The county “becomes the agent to represent the three cities” and will disburse any funds that are provided.

“It’s easier to do it this way for all the cities than to have them file separate claims,” Hess said.

He said each of the three mayors would send letters within a week to businesses affected by the fire, asking them to report on their potential losses and what type of insurance they have to cover them.

Anaheim spokeswoman Erlewine said officials are compiling information on the cost of city, county and federal agencies to fight the fire and toxic spill. The city will also assess the economic impact on the closed businesses, she said.

Anaheim fire official Hartshorn said the cost of firefighting and police efforts could tally up to “a million dollars,” not counting the cost to the shut-down businesses.

‘Astronomical Figure’

That figure, he said, “is going to be just astronomical.”

Meanwhile, business owners were grumbling Wednesday about the impact the toxic chemical fire and evacuation has had on their operations.

“A couple of customers have been a little bit desperate,” said Chuck McGee, a salesman for Maple Roll Leaf Co. Inc., which produces hot stamp foil for the graphics industry.

Although impatient to return to his office, he added, “I only want to get in if it is safe. Chemicals nowadays can just get on your skin and kill you. You don’t even have to breathe it.”

Cathy Palmesino, co-owner of Angelique’s Continental Cuisine, said that although her business remained open, she has lost an estimated $4,000 in business since noon Monday because of the evacuation nearby.

‘Very, Very Unhappy’

Palmesino said business owners are “very, very unhappy about the closure and the problems they are having. They are talking about suing the owner of the business where the fire was.”

According to records filed with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Larry Fricker Co. had an insurance policy with Fireman’s Fund Insurance for its agricultural pesticide application business, but that policy expired in the middle of March, 1985. The firm was not required to have any other kind of insurance by the state because it acted as a middleman for chemicals and did not manufacture them, according to Mac Takeda, senior pesticide use specialist.

“I’m kind of surprised they don’t have insurance on this,” said Thomas Gonzales, chief of the state Department of Insurance’s policy services bureau in Los Angeles. But, he said, the nature of their business probably meant the “premium would have been prohibitive.”

‘Totally Exhausted’

Contacted at home, co-owner Etzold’s wife referred inquiries to the company’s attorney, adding her husband is “a totally exhausted man.”

Etzold, 50, is listed in 1979 state records as the chief financial officer who took over as president when Larry Fricker died. He owns the company with Leonard J. Brown, 41, who is listed as vice president and secretary. According to attorney Freeman, they have been sole shareholders since 1980.

The company has been in business for 46 years, providing products to Orange County wholesale nurseries, landscapers, golf courses and agricultural companies. According to the local farm bureau, it is believed to be Orange County’s biggest agricultural chemical company.

The company was incorporated in June, 1973, and moved from Tustin to Anaheim in 1982.

Between 1946 and 1965, Etzold managed a ranch and orange grove properties for his mother, according to financial records.

Annual Sales

Etzold recently said the company has annual sales of about $4 million a year. The company now has 2,500 accounts, most of them ranchers, landscapers and golf courses in Southern California, according to a credit report.

The company has about 30 employees, with branch offices in Lancaster, Valley Center in northern San Diego County and San Luis Rey, near Oceanside, according to the credit report.

Escrow is due to close today on the sale of 2.85 acres of land by FEB Land Co. (which stands for Fricker, Etzold and Brown) to the City of Tustin. Tustin is paying $1.8 million to FEB for two parcels, one of which was the former site of the Fricker chemical business.

Bill Huston, Tustin city manager, said the city got “very aggressive” with Fricker because the site was a hazard. The city is buying land for a shopping center and restaurant complex, he said.

Anaheim city spokeswoman Erlewine said building code inspectors visited the Fricker warehouse in April because the company wanted a permit to install foundations to support at least one storage tank. While on the site, inspectors noticed some improperly stored petroleum-based products, Erlewine said.

Although the inspectors gave approval for the foundation work, they sent a letter to the Fire Department regarding the possible violation involving the petroleum-based products, she said.

The Fire Department had not inspected the premises since receiving the letter, Erlewine said. Although Fire Chief Bob Simpson does not believe the two months is an inappropriate lag time, Erlewine said the chief was concerned that there had been no follow-up.

According to Anaheim Fire Capt. Jim Cox, the county Agricultural Commission staff believes there have never been any serious problems at the site.

Times staff writers Jane Applegate, Barry S. Surman and Kim Murphy contributed to this story.