Riverside Freeway Briefly Closed : Toxic Fire Extinguished at Anaheim Factory

Toxic smoke and flames shooting 75 feet into the air at a metal working factory forced a brief closure of the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim Sunday night. But a quick response from firefighters and hazardous materials specialists extinguished the blaze and toxic cloud within 20 minutes, Anaheim officials said.

There were no injuries and no evacuations necessary in the industrial park just south of the freeway between Harbor Boulevard and Lemon Street, city spokeswoman Sheri Erlewine said. The heavy cloud of smoke dissipated immediately after foam was used to douse flames.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Erlewine said. Damage estimates were not immediately available.

In Asphalt Vats

The spectacular blaze apparently started shortly before 7 p.m. in a large uncovered vat of asphalt and asphalt thinners in an open shed at the Anaheim Foundry Co. The shed also contained several 55-gallon drums of toxic solvents, according to Erlewine.

A security guard, who was alone at the building, reported the flames at 6:55 p.m.

When firefighters arrived at the scene in the 100 block of Commercial Street, two of the solvent drums exploded, sending flames shooting 40 to 75 feet into the air, Capt. Gary Wilder said.

Firefighters used foam instead of water to put out the fire, which helped contain the cloud of smoke above the industrial park, according to Wilder. Erlewine said the poisonous vapors posed no danger to the public since there are no residences in the immediate area and no businesses in operation at the time.

Nonetheless, with towering flames easily visible from the Riverside Freeway nearby, California Highway Patrol officials closed eastbound lanes of traffic from Harbor Boulevard past Lemon Street for about 15 minutes, until flames and the vapor cloud were extinguished.

Not Far From Other Fire

The fire occurred about two miles from the site of a pesticide and fertilizer warehouse blaze that belched toxic fumes, forced the evacuation of more than 7,500 residents in three adjacent communities and shut down surrounding businesses for several days in June.

The U.S. Coast Guard strike team and federal Environmental Protection Agency officials took charge of that arson incident at the Larry Fricker Co. on State College Boulevard at the Riverside Freeway.

In this case, Erlewine said the Orange County Health Care Agency’s environmental division will supervise the cleanup. She said owners will be required to dispose of materials at an approved hazardous-waste landfill.