Fire crews contained blaze, pollution

Greg Risling

COSTA MESA -- Fire Department investigators are still searching the cause

of Thursday’s blaze at a plastics company near John Wayne Airport, but

authorities on Friday said they are sure the fire didn’t harm the

environment.

While flames and toxic plumes of smoke from the early morning inferno

billowed into the sky, firefighters acted quickly to put water on the

burning building and block hazardous runoff from flowing into a storm

drain that connects to Upper Newport Bay.

“We covered all our bases during the fire,” said Costa Mesa Battalion

Chief Keith Fujimoto. “There was some early runoff during the first 20

minutes of the fire, but we were able to keep much more from going down

the drain.”

Firefighters literally had their hands full in containing a fire that

gutted the Newport Plastics Inc. building on Airport Loop and creating a

dam of sandbags to stop the runoff.

More than 40 firefighters responded to the massive blaze, which caused

about $2.5 million in damages. About 30% of the firefighting force were

building the sand blockade.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Once the fire was contained, hazardous material teams tested the runoff

for toxics. Although authorities said there weren’t any high levels of

toxics measured in the runoff, trucks vacuumed up the pool of water

amassed in a parking lot. The tainted water was taken to a plant, where

it will be chemically treated.

“I’m glad they did that,” said Nancy Bruland, a county park ranger

stationed in Upper Newport Bay. “I think there is a big awakening about

what people do and how they affect the environment. I think the tide is

turning.”

Fujimoto said when he first became a firefighter, the common practice was

to direct runoff into storm drains. The passage of a state proposition

changed that policy by mandating agencies clean up after themselves.

“That proposition has a far-reaching impact, especially what it has done

to protect the environment,” he said. “I hope the excess of the early

generations won’t be seen by later generations.”

Another concern during Wednesday’s fire was the hazardous smoke being

inhaled by onlookers. Hazardous material crews tested the air as far away

as 500 feet from the fire’s origin.

Aided by optimum firefighting conditions that included the absence of

seasonal Santa Ana winds, authorities don’t believe the smoke harmed

anyone. The toxic chemicals were dispersed in the thick smoke and diluted

at higher altitudes, said Barbara Marcosa, public information officer for

the Costa Mesa Fire Department.

If the wind had carried the smoke to certain areas, authorities may have

been forced to evacuate more businesses.

“It’s possible the airport would have been evacuated if there weren’t

such calm conditions,” said Karen Dorame, spokeswoman for the Orange

County Health Care Agency. “The day before, the wind was blowing like

crazy. Fortunately, the smoke went straight up.”