Fire at Bay Area metal-recycling plant burns for second day

A shelter-in-place order was lifted Monday even as a fire at a Bay Area metal-recycling plant continued to burn for a second day.

The fire, reported at about 1:20 p.m. Sunday at Sims Metal Management in Redwood City, sent huge plumes of smoke into the air, affecting three counties and prompting officials to advise nearby residents to stay indoors and keep their windows shut.

Firefighters were still working to extinguish the blaze as of Monday morning but were able to control it enough to lift the shelter-in-place order by 6:20 a.m., local media reported.

A health advisory remained in effect for residents in southern San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and southern Alameda County, although the Sims plant is not near residential neighborhoods, KPIX-TV reported.

Firefighters were expected to fully contain the blaze by midday. Their efforts were hampered by piles of scrap metal, and they had to bring in cranes to gain access to the core of the blaze, officials said.

Investigators on Monday were still trying to determine what caused the fire, officials said.

[Updated 12:15 p.m. PST Nov. 11, 2013: Sims Metal issued a statement Monday saying that the fire had been extinguished as of 6 a.m. and that the facility was “open for business.”

No injuries or property damage occurred as a result of the fire, which was reported at 7 p.m. Sunday, according to the company. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.]

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