Blaze Guts Plastics Factory

A fast-moving blaze early Thursday destroyed a plastics factory on the northern edge of John Wayne Airport, sending a plume of smoke skyward and causing an estimated $3 million in damage.

The blaze was controlled within two hours, but officials worried that possibly toxic runoff from the water and foam used to fight the fire could drain into Newport Bay.

Firefighters from four agencies, two hazardous materials teams and county, state and federal officials responded to the fire at Newport Plastics on Airport Loop Drive in Costa Mesa.

There were no injuries to workers or firefighters, but the plant’s mixed-breed watchdog, Cheetos, was killed. Because of the potentially toxic nature of the blaze, firefighters underwent precautionary blood tests and medical examinations, said Barbara Marcosa, spokeswoman for the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

Firefighters from Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Newport Beach and the Orange County Fire Authority quickly placed sand barriers to prevent the water from running into gutters and a nearby flood channel that leads to the bay. They also alerted the U.S. Coast Guard, whose officers coordinated other environmental agencies at the scene.

Edward Boyes, an oil spill specialist with the California Fish and Game Department, said officials were monitoring water quality to ensure the safety of Newport Bay wildlife.

“The open channel goes right by where the fire was,” Boyes said. “What we worried about were solvents . . . endangering the wildlife.” He added that solvents such as those used in the manufacturing of plastics are more difficult to contain--and pose a greater hazard--than crude oil spills.

However, the department did not detect unusual levels of toxicity in a nearby flood channel. “It looks like the fire department did a good job containing the runoff,” Boyes said.

The regional Water Quality Control Board and contractors for the federal Environmental Protection Agency also monitored the water for possible toxicity.

The fire, reported shortly after 6 a.m., created a pillar of smoke visible for miles, but the fumes did not interfere with airport traffic and no delays were reported, said Capt. Paul Hunter, county Fire Authority spokesman. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The building smoldered into the afternoon and small fires continued to erupt, destroying everything inside. The structure was deemed unsafe after its roof collapsed, so hazardous materials teams and investigators were unable to enter the building, remaining on standby for most of the afternoon, Hunter said.

Factory owner Bruce Hale said the fire could have been caused by an electrical short. Both he and Hunter estimated the damage at $3 million.

“It’s 30 years of work,” Hale said. “But we were fortunate everyone was gone [from the building].”

Hale said authorities alerted him to the fire about 6 a.m. His immediate concern was for a supervisor who had gone to the factory an hour before to turn on plastic molding equipment. The supervisor, however, had gone home to shower and was not in the building when the fire started, Hale said.

The company employed 40 people; it manufactured children’s toys, cosmetic jars and other plastic objects.

Costa Mesa police officers evacuated people working in neighboring buildings for most of the day.