At 7:01 p.m., 11 companies of Los Angeles firefighters, four LAFD rescue ambulances, two Hazardous Materials Teams, one foam tender, two EMS battalion captains, three Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, one Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Ray Olsen responded to a hazardous materials incident at Anaheim Street and Schley Avenue in Wilmington.
Firefighters arriving on scene found a 150-by-250 steel storage building with light smoke escaping from the rear of the structure. Noticing that the building was placarded with a hazardous materials placard, firefighters donned full personal protective equipment and breathing apparatus before leaving the apparatus to investigate the origin of the smoke. As firefighters entered the building, they were confronted with large mounds of yellow sulfur. A tractor, used to move sulfur product within the building had caught fire and spread to a small area of the surrounding sulfur. The building, occupied by H.J. Baker, a sulfur processing plant had self evacuated prior to the arrival of firefighters.
A full hazardous materials response was requested and access by the public to the surrounding area was restricted until it was determined safe by members of the Hazardous Materials Task Force using air and water monitoring equipment. Firefighters using handlines and Class A foam were able to contain the fire in just over one hour and limit the spread spread of the fire to the tractor and the sulfur immediately surrounding the it. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries. The dollar loss is estimated to be $6000 ($5000 tractor and $1000 surrounding product.) The cause is listed as accidental.