Anaheim : Stray Spark Sets $70,000 Fire at Recycling Center

An errant spark from a welder’s torch set off a blaze in a recycling center on Monday that threatened to ride gusty Santa Ana winds into the surrounding neighborhood before fire crews were able to put it out.

The blaze at Orange County Scrap & Recycling in the 900 block of East South Street caused $70,000 in damage, part of which was to a trailer rig owned by the company that was loaded with bales of recycled newspapers, Anaheim spokeswoman Carol Johnson said. One firefighter was injured when he was struck above the eye by a hose coupling; he was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana and released, she said.

The fire started shortly after 8 a.m. when a spark blew off a scale that workmen were welding, igniting bales of newspaper, cardboard and other paper products that the business recycles, Johnson said. Six fire companies brought the blaze under control in two hours, and several more hours were required to put it out completely, she said.

Last April, the recycling center was the scene of an arson fire that caused more than $100,000 in damage, Fire Investigator Mike Doty said. The fire department still has no leads in that case, he added.

The center has also had problems with the city’s code enforcers. In May, 1984, a hearing was held to determine whether to cancel owner Ray Segal’s conditional use permit for the facility because of numerous violations of safety standards, John Poole, Anaheim’s code enforcement supervisor, said. The permit was not terminated, and Segal “has done a pretty good job since that time,” Poole pointed out.

Poole said, however, that the city had to prod Segal for three months to clean up debris that had been moved onto city property across the street from the center after the arson fire.