Chino Fire’s Smoke Seen Across Southland

A huge, low-slung black cloud of smoke billowed across western San Bernardino County on Tuesday after a fire broke out at a building insulation company in Chino.

The smoke could be seen from Los Angeles, about 50 miles away. It towered into the sky, but also combed the top of nearby one-story buildings.

The fire erupted at 2 p.m. in a large storage yard at the Insulfoam plant in Chino. One firefighter was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation.

Damage was estimated at $2 million. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Fire officials said the burning material that created all the smoke was plastic insulation.

Using water cannons, more than 50 firefighters quickly surrounded the blaze and knocked it down by 4 p.m. Businesses abutting the Insulfoam plant were evacuated, but the fire never damaged any of them, authorities said.

The nearest homes are about a mile east of the fire, said Tony Landin, a spokesman for the Chino Valley Independent Fire District.

Residents were told to stay indoors because most smoke, regardless of the material being burned, is harmful, Landin said. Pilots were asked to steer clear of the smoke.

Tacoma, Wash.-based Insulfoam, part of Premier Industries Inc., manufactures expanded polystyrene, which is used as insulation in the building industry.