Painting Firm Destroyed in $1-Million Fire in Sun Valley

A Sun Valley aluminum painting firm’s one-story brick building was gutted by fire Saturday, causing an estimated $1 million in damage, fire officials said.

No one was injured in the blaze at Aluminex Finishing Inc., at 11630 Tuxford St. near Lankershim Boulevard, firefighters said.

The fire sent up clouds of dark, foul-smelling smoke as several five-gallon containers of paint and paint thinner burned inside. Several 55-gallon drums of a highly flammable acid, methyl ethyl ketone, which were stored in a nearby shed, were not ignited, said Assistant Fire Chief Dick Olsen.

“This could have been worse. We’re lucky these tanks of methyl ethyl ketone didn’t catch too,” Olsen said. “There was some paint and paint thinner which appears to have caught fire . . . but it didn’t spread outside.”

Olsen said the cause of the fire is under investigation. The manager of the firm, Henry Manheim, said it may have been touched off by electrical problems, but he would not elaborate.

About 60 firefighters arrived about 12:24 p.m. and put out the blaze in about 40 minutes, Olsen said. The 100-by-200-foot building was about 75% burned, Olsen said.

Firefighters said the rainy, cool weather may have slowed the spread of the fire, allowing them to contain it before flames could ignite the adjacent shed where the acid tanks were stored.

Firefighters and onlookers, who stood nearby in the rain, coughed, eyes watering from the smoke. “This is awful. This is really nasty,” yelled one firefighter as he walked out of the charred structure.

Streets in a two-block area around the fire were cordoned off, but no one was evacuated from nearby businesses, most of which were closed.

Several workers were cleaning in the building when the fire began, but they did not know how it started.

“They saw a fire but could not put it out. The smoke drove them outside,” said Manheim, who is a co-owner of the firm. “It seemed like it was electrical, but I’m really not sure.”

Manheim said he had worked from 4 a.m. until 9 a.m. Saturday and was at home when told of the fire.

The manager appeared confused as he showed firefighters where the flammable materials were located. “I just don’t know what to do at this point,” Manheim said.