Saugus Plant Lacked Permits to Burn Waste, 2 Agencies Say

Two agencies said Friday that they are investigating the burning of explosive waste by a defense contractor’s plant in Saugus that allegedly set off a five-acre brush fire on Thursday.

Both the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the South Coast Air Quality Management District said the company, National Technical Systems, lacked the needed permits to burn explosives on its property.

Fire Inspector Dick Doran, who is heading a investigation at the site, said the burning was not an isolated incident at the firm. “Evidently, they’ve been doing it for some time,” he said.

Findings Due Monday

Kay Trout, another fire inspector, said the department’s findings will be forwarded Monday to the district attorney’s office.

Jeb Stuart, executive director of the air district, said he has requested a copy of the department’s report.

“If they were indeed burning, they were burning illegally without a permit and that would be a violation of our rules,” Stuart said.

Burning without a district permit is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum $1,000 fine for each day of violation and up to six months’ imprisonment, Stuart said. He said National Technical Systems had made inquiries last year about getting a permit but had never followed through.

A company is required to obtain permits from both the Fire Department and the air district to engage in open burning.

Ann Thryft, director of corporate communications for the company, said in a statement that the firm is fully licensed to handle hazardous materials and that the license allows it to dispose of waste in a safe manner.

She declined to answer questions about Thursday’s incident, but said, “The accident which occurred yesterday is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation.”

The Calabasas-based firm tests products, including explosives, for the government.

Fire officials said the blaze started at 1:03 p.m. when an employee who was burning explosive powder in a buried 55-gallon drum threw in two 40-millimeter shells. The shells exploded and ignited brush, causing a fire that took five hours and 150 firefighters to contain.

Will Seek Payment

Doran said the department will attempt to recover from National Technical Systems the cost of fighting the fire, which has not been determined.

Stuart said inspectors from the air district had gone to the Saugus plant at least once this year.

Several months after the company inquired about applying for a burning permit, inspectors called to check on the matter, Stuart said, adding that they were told the firm was disposing of a slightly toxic magnesium waste by giving it to a local college professor.

Stuart said inspectors visited the plant in March after hearing rumors of open-pit burning. They found no evidence of burning, however, and had no further contact with the company until this week’s fire, he said.

District officials said only one company in their four-county jurisdiction has a current permit to burn explosive waste. Companies can also get temporary variances allowing them to burn waste.

Two other explosives firms near the National Technical Systems plant have disposed of waste by open burning over the years, but have been pressured by the district to come up with other methods.

Bermite, which has a manufacturing plant next door, has a temporary variance to continue burning. But Space Ordnance Systems, which has plants several miles away, has been denied a variance to burn 2,100 drums of explosive waste.

Space Ordnance Systems now is seeking approval of a plan to ship its waste to South Carolina for treatment by a firm there.