Firefighters Labor to Douse Blaze at Recycling Firm
Firefighters took nearly eight hours Sunday to put out a stubborn fire in a large pile of wood chips at a compost and recycling yard in Pacoima.
Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said 13 companies and 65 firefighters responded to the blaze, which broke out at 4:36 a.m. on the 12400 block of West Branford Street.
There were no injuries and no structures were threatened.
Humphrey could not estimate the cost of the damage because the wood was discarded and headed for recycling.
The cause of the fire at the Comet Co., a compost and recycling firm, is under investigation, Humphrey said.
However, Bill Jackson, one of the firm’s owners, said he believes the fire was deliberately set. Jackson said that a chain-link fence around the property had been cut with wire cutters.
Nothing appeared to be missing Sunday, but Jackson said his business has been burglarized several times in the past two years.
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