SANTA ANA : 5 Firefighters Hurt in Tire Store Blaze

Fire burned through a downtown tire store for 3 1/2 hours Wednesday, injuring five firefighters and causing traffic delays for commuters trying to get to offices and businesses near the Civic Center Plaza.

The fire, reported at 4:07 a.m., destroyed the B. F. Goodrich store at the intersection of Bristol and 1st treets, Fire Department Inspector Karl Ellman said.

Ellman said the first firefighters to arrive at the scene noticed flames in a tire-storage area outside the building, where the fire was believed to have started. But moments later, they found that the fire had somehow spread to the interior of the building, which was fully engulfed in flames, Ellman said.

The melting rubber sent a cloud of thick, acrid smoke high into the morning sky. The black plume could be seen for miles.

“With rubber products, you usually have a high-density fire,” Ellman said. “It is very hard to put out because it retains a lot of heat.”

Firefighters laid down a thick coat of foam to smother the flames, Ellman said.

The fire was declared out by 7:30 a.m. However, firefighters still chased an occasional flare-up among the smoldering ruins as late as 2 p.m.

In the process of battling the blaze, two firemen suffered smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene. Three others were taken to UCI Medical Center for injuries suffered when the store’s facade fell on them.

One firefighter suffered second- and third-degree burns, neck and knee injuries and a broken ankle. The second complained of pains in his leg and the third pulled a back muscle, Ellman said.

Neither the names of the injured firefighters nor estimates of damage were immediately available, he said.

The cause is still under investigation.