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Fiery blast at La Habra car-rim polisher hurts 8, three critically

Workers sit outside Gorilla Polishing Corp. after an explosion and fire inside the La Habra business injured eight people, three critically.
(Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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A fiery explosion Tuesday at a car rim polishing business in La Habra injured eight people, three critically, authorities said.

Firefighters were sent to the business in the 500 block of Commercial Way at 9:49 a.m. and found a smoky scene, with workers having evacuated on their own, said Keith Mora, inspector with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which covers La Habra under a contract.

The fire was knocked down nearly 40 minutes after the initial call came in.

Investigators were at the site to try to determine what caused the explosion.

“We know there was magnesium inside the building for the polishing they do,” Mora said. “It’s not really an explosive, but mixed with other chemicals it has the potential to be flammable.”

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adolfo.flores@latimes.com

Twitter: @AdolfoFlores3

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