Spectacular Blaze at Tijuana Factory Darkens the Skies

A spectacular million-dollar fire at the largest paint factory in Baja California caused several explosions and burned for several hours Monday, sending high into the sky a pillar of thick, black smoke that was visible for several miles. Despite the ferocity of the blaze, which attracted hundreds of onlookers, no major injuries were reported.

The fire at the Pinturas y Barnices Caletto factory gutted part of a storage building in which about 1 million gallons of paint in one- and five-gallon containers was awaiting shipment under the brand name Corona. The factory covers half a city block in a crowded area of Agua Caliente Boulevard, about a block from the downtown bullring.

Hundreds of Mexican firefighters, some staggering under the intense heat and fumes, battled the fire and kept it from spreading to adjacent businesses and homes, which were evacuated.

They were helped by a contingent from the San Diego Fire Department, which, under a mutual aid agreement, supplied two 3,000-gallon tankers and one 1,200-gallon brush rig. “What they need more than anything is water,” said Battalion Chief Don Johnson, who commanded the San Diego unit.

At one point, Red Cross workers and others rushed in crates of limes and oranges, and tossed them to weary firefighters standing on ladders and on top of cinder block walls surrounding the fire.

Firefighters were successful in preventing the flames from reaching areas of the factory where thousands of gallons of solvents are stored and where the paint is actually made. Also spared was a section of the yard containing stacks of lumber.

As it was, the explosions and intense heat buckled walls and collapsed the roof, leaving behind a maze of twisted metal girders, blackened sections of tin roofing and splotches of paint burning on the ground.

Inside the yard, hundreds of 50-gallon paint containers were swollen grotesquely by the heat and seemed on the verge of exploding before they were carried away from the fire.

Tijuana Police Chief Rafael Rubio Alarcon said the fire at the factory began about 10 a.m., and was followed shortly thereafter by a series of explosions that rocked the neighborhood and sent scores of workmen fleeing from the building.

Two Mexican firefighters were overcome by smoke and treated for smoke inhalation, the police chief said.

“That’s what makes the smoke so bad, is the burning paint,” said Johnson. It could seen from throughout Tijuana and several miles into the United States.

The paint company, which also operates a lumber yard and hardware store at the same location, has about 25 retail outlets in Baja and northern Mexico, an office worker at the facility said. “We’re big, like your Standard Brands,” he said.

Officials at the scene said they didn’t know the extent of damage, but said the loss of paint alone could run to $1 million or more.