On the first day of classes, students and staff at Jordan High School in Watts were rattled by an explosion at a neighboring scrap metal recycler, according to officials.
Around 8:20 a.m. Monday, about 10 minutes before first period, staff reported hearing a loud noise and then seeing a plume of smoke emanating from S&W Atlas Iron & Metal Co. At the time of the blast, some students were gathered outside, but no one was injured, according to Los Angeles Unified School District officials. Beyond the initial disruption, the school day went ahead as planned, said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District.
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“There was a loud explosion recorded by a number of individuals on campus and some individuals reported seeing a fireball,” Carvalho said.
As of Monday afternoon, the school district and other authorities were still investigating whether metal shrapnel or debris had flown over the fence line onto school grounds, which has been reported over the years.
The incident joins a long line of unnerving episodes arising from operations at Atlas, one of Los Angeles’ oldest metal recyclers. The facility, located near the intersection of Alameda Street and Century Boulevard, has repeatedly been accused of environmental infractions. Community members expressed their disappointment that the situation marred the first day of school.
“This is what back-to-school looks like in Watts, and it’s a product of decades of neglect by the same public officials who took an oath to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Tim Watkins, president and chief executive of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee and a member of the Healthy Families Coalition. “Instead of being welcomed back to school with a safe and healthy environment, students were welcomed back to school with an explosion and perhaps poisonous gasses and projectiles. It’s simply not possible to imagine this would happen in any other community.”
The fiery incident occurs amid a criminal court proceeding against Atlas and its owners, Gary and Matthew Weisenberg. Earlier this year, L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón filed two dozen criminal charges against Atlas and its father-and-son owners.
In recent years, students and staff have complained that school grounds have been pelted with metal projectiles and coated with metallic dust due to Atlas’ operations.
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The district attorney’s office said its environmental crimes team was dispatched to Atlas and was communicating with LAUSD.
“We remain committed to pursuing justice and protecting the children at the school and the surrounding community,” the district attorney’s office said in statement.
An attorney representing the Atlas owners did not immediately respond to a request to comment.
After the explosion, Thelmy Alvarez, another organizer with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, went to the facility to get answers. Matthew Weisenberg provided her and an inspector from the local air district with an internal report suggesting a tank had exploded within the scrapyard, Alvarez said.
Monday’s explosion was not the first at Atlas. In December 2002, the facility was dismantling Navy ammunition when a large shell exploded and a chunk of metal traveled 1,500 feet onto Jordan High School’s campus. No one was hurt, but the school was evacuated and authorities removed 200 other naval rounds. Months earlier, in May 2002, Atlas workers were cutting an oil drum, sparking an explosion that sent metal shards onto Jordan’s campus.
Although the facility’s history of explosions has grabbed the most attention, residents and students say the threat from the facility’s metallic dust and air pollution are constant. They argue that will continue to imperil the community’s health for as long as Atlas is allowed to operate.
“We should not have to fight so hard to be able to breathe air that doesn’t cause cancer,” said Genesis Cruz, a recent graduate of Jordan High School. “I’m not a lawyer, yet. But I know that the decision in front of the judge is simple. Stop this company or kids will continue to be exposed to toxic chemicals.”
Despite progress, LAUSD continues to grapple with lagging achievement, declining enrollment and absenteeism as students return for the first day of school.
