An investigation using heavy equipment was underway Thursday to comb through material at a metal recycling facility following a more than 15-hour firefight in South El Monte.
Firefighters initially responded to the three-alarm blaze, which sent up thick plumes and columns of smoke seen for miles, at 2:32 p.m. Wednesday at P&T Metals in the 2200 block of North Tyler Avenue, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.
The fire caused multiple explosions, but Fire Department Public Information Officer Keith Navarre could not confirm reports that propane tanks blew up or that the blaze had been classified as a titanium fire.
There were multiple types of metal at the facility, he told City News Service, but no injuries were reported and searches for potential victims have concluded.
The Fire Department’s Health HazMat unit and Urban Search and Rescue teams were involved in the response, according to Navarre.
Concerns over possibly toxic smoke prompted a shelter in place order after the fire broke out. The order was lifted around 10 p.m. Wednesday, after continuous monitoring returned negative results of dangerous contaminants, Navarre said.
Los Angeles County Board Chair and 1st District Supervisor Hilda Solis issued a statement Wednesday that said her “office is actively coordinating with state officials and city officials to address the fire” and advised residents to heed the shelter-in-place order.
P&T Metals recycles industrial scrap metal, including aluminum, copper, brass, iron, steel, titanium, exotic and precious metals and high-temperature alloys, according to the company’s website. In business for nearly 60 years, the company’s South El Monte facility covers four acres.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, but arson is not suspected, Navarre said.
