HUNTINGTON PARK : Ex-Guard Charged in Warehouse Blaze

A former security guard is awaiting trial after being charged with accidentally igniting the McKay Chemical Co. fire, a $2.8-million blaze that destroyed the company’s shipping warehouse.

Gerardo Vargas, 36, of Baldwin Park and Moreno Valley had worked for McKay Chemical as a night watchman for less than two weeks when the fire broke out at 2:25 a.m. Oct. 21, officials said.

Vargas was the only person on the property at 1920 Randolph St. when the fire started, officials said.

He was arrested at the scene and booked for committing a reckless act, a felony charge under the state arson statute that does not require proof of intent, officials said.

Vargas was released on $110,000 bail, Huntington Park Detective Tony Porter said.

No date has been set for the trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. If convicted, Vargas could serve up to three years in state prison and be fined an amount based on the company’s loss and determined by the court.

The fire began when a discarded cigarette ignited a stack of wooden pallets that were stored outside against the aluminum siding of the warehouse, said Capt. Bill Franklin, an arson investigator with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

At least 30 fire engines reported to the scene but the shipping warehouse was declared a total loss, he said.

The warehouse contained oil-based automotive additives that were manufactured in the adjoining processing plant.

Although flames did not reach the plant, the company halted production for two weeks to repair damage caused by smoke. County hazardous-materials teams spent two days cleaning up the site, Porter said.

Officials of McKay Chemical, a division of Blue Coral, a Cleveland-based company, would not comment on the fire. Vargas could not be reached.

Vargas is also suspected of setting an earlier fire in a trash can at the warehouse, Porter said.