Fire Causes Heavy Damage at Metal Plating Business
A metal plating business containing hazardous materials was badly damaged Saturday during a fire, according to authorities.
The chemicals--including muriatic and sulfuric acids--did not appear to have escaped, said Darryl Forbes, Burbank fire marshal. But, as a precaution, he said, Los Angeles County hazardous materials investigators were called in for further tests.
The fire was reported just before 4 p.m. at Steve’s Plating in an industrial neighborhood in the 3100 block of North San Fernando Boulevard, according to authorities.
It took 120 firefighters from the Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles fire departments about 30 minutes to extinguish the flames, Forbes said.
As a precaution, firefighters used sand to absorb the runoff water used to fight the flames in case the water was contaminated with any of the chemicals, authorities said.
The business had been locked and vacant prior to the fire, Forbes said. One firefighter suffered a twisted ankle.
The structural and property damage had not been tallied, but at least half of the 10,000-square-foot facility had burned, according to authorities.
The cause of the fire had not been determined and the incident remained under investigation, Forbes said.
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