CAMARILLO : Worker Injured in Fire and Explosion
An explosion and fire at a Camarillo electronics manufacturer Thursday injured one worker and caused the evacuation of the company, county fire officials said.
About 350 employees of California Amplifier at 460 Calle San Pablo were evacuated when the fire broke out at about 12:30 p.m. in an area where magnesium is ground for parts used in satellite dishes.
Machine operator Artemio Reyes, 45, was treated at Pleasant Valley Hospital for first- and second-degree burns on his face and neck and released, a hospital spokesman said.
Battalion Chief Richard Perry said the fire, which broke out in two spots inside and outside the building, was extinguished within 10 minutes.
He said fumes from magnesium are toxic but only while the fire is burning. Employees returned to the building about 3 p.m.
Fire officials said the fire and explosion may have occurred because the exhaust system in the grinding room had not been maintained. But Dave Nichols, president of California Amplifier, said an impurity in the magnesium could have caused the fire by igniting a spark and setting off the explosion in the ventilation system.
Nichols estimated the damage at less than $10,000.
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