A fire re-ignited Tuesday at a commercial building in the Central-Alameda area of Los Angeles that was the site of a major emergency fire on Monday, prompting renewed air-quality concerns.
Tuesday’s flare-up was reported at about 4 a.m. at 5505 S. Alameda St., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews battled the fire as it spread to surrounding power lines, prompting involvement from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Firefighters employed large-diameter hose lines to douse the flames and protect nearby structures.
No injuries were immediately reported and no other buildings burned on Tuesday.
The building at that address, the Bel Air Wood Floor warehouse, had caught fire early Monday morning. Flames broke out at a neighboring recycling plant at about 1 a.m., then spread to the adjacent business. That major-emergency blaze took more than 120 firefighters four hours to put out.
Assistant LAFD Chief Carlos Calvillo told reporters at the scene Tuesday that firefighters had been monitoring the site when the flare-up erupted amid “a complex of buildings that are all intertwined internally.”
“You can see, we had to cut the whole side of this building open just to gain access,” he said, adding that the fire was deeply seated.
Calvillo said he wasn’t sure if the power lines had been re-energized when the flare-up occurred.
More than 100 firefighters were at the scene working to suppress the re-ignited blaze and clear debris, a department spokeswoman said.
“Traffic restrictions remain in place from East 50th Street in the north to Slauson Avenue in the south, and from Bandera Street in the west to Alameda Street in the east,” according to the LAFD’s Lyndsey Lantz.
Air monitoring has so far has detected only typical combustion byproducts, Calvillo said, but later Tuesday the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a statement saying harmful fine particles were detected downwind of the fire location.
According to Lantz, the South Coast AQMD issued a particle pollution advisory until midnight Wednesday.
“Smoke from a large structure fire in Vernon that started early Monday morning is blowing toward the southwest and impacting air quality in the local area,” according to an AQMD statement. “As of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the fire is producing smoke as firefighting efforts continue.”
Downwind sensors “measured a short period of Unhealthy Air Quality Index levels of fine particle pollution toward the southwest of Vernon on Tuesday morning,” according to the agency., which reported that winds were expected to remain light “and repeatedly switch between blowing toward the southwest and east, between Tuesday morning and Wednesday night.”
Ash may also fall across the area.
In Manhattan Beach, city officials issued an alert Tuesday morning saying, “Air quality in Manhattan Beach has reached the red `Unhealthy’ category, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.”
“At this level, anyone may experience health effects, and sensitive groups may experience more serious effects,” the alert stated. “Sensitive groups include children, older adults, pregnant people and people with heart or lung conditions such as asthma. To protect your health: Limit time outdoors and avoid strenuous outdoor activity, keep windows and doors closed run air conditioning on recirculate and use an air purifier if you have one.”
The alert also advised residents to keep pets indoors.
Calvillo said nearby residents were advised to leave the area or go inside and close windows and doors if they smell smoke.
It could take another week before the fire is declared completely out, he said.