The State - News from Nov. 28, 1988

An intense fire fueled by more than 1,000 tons of charcoal briquettes and a flammable liquid destroyed a storage warehouse at the Kingsford Charcoal Co. in Elk Grove, authorities said. More than 50 firefighters from the Elk Grove, Wilton, Galt, Rancho Cordova and Florin Pacific fire departments battled the inferno. The fire gutted the 30,000-square-foot warehouse but was shrouded by fog so thick that the Elk Grove Fire Department received only one call reporting the flames. There were no injuries. “A fire as big as that, and we only got one call on it--a resident about a quarter-mile away from the plant,” Deputy Fire Chief Tom Fischlin said. The blaze consumed more than 1,000 tons of Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes, Matchlight Instant Lighting Briquettes, BBQ Bag Briquettes and some charcoal lighting fluid, a company spokeswoman said.