TRASH FACILITY ON FIRE IN EL CAJON

Firefighters removed 500 tons of trash to extinguish the blaze 

By Nadin Abbott and Miriam Raftery

Photos by Billy Ortiz and Nadin Abbott; view video by Billy Ortiz

December 7, 2012 (El Cajon) -- A large fire is now under control at a Waste Management facility at 1001 West Bradley Avenue near Gillespie Field in El Cajon. 

"There are flames shooting out of a big pile of trash," Councilman Gary Kendrick told ECM shortly after the fire was reported at 5:48 p.m. to Heartland Fire dispatch.  "It smells pretty bad and there is a lot of smoke."  The facility is a transfer station, he said, adding that a large number of emergency vehicles are at the scene.

ECM's Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerst service advised readers to avoid the area earlier due to potential for toxic fumes and reduced visibility near Gillespie Field.

Firefithers initially tried to douse the fire by laying out hoses and pouring water, but son realized this was not adequate. So the Incident Commander requested a second alarm, Heartland Public Information Officer Sonny Saghera told ECM. Responders next had to remove "500 tons of trash" from the facility and separate trash items.

But removing trash added oxygen to the mix, whipping the blaze into billowing flames visible across the area.

"At first, employees of Waste Management were operating the skip-loaders, but the smoke became too thick inside the facility," Monica Zech, City of El Cajon spokesperson, reports. "It was decided firefighters, wearing their BA’s (mask and breathing apparatus) would take over operating the skip loaders. This removal process is expected to last several hours. San Diego Fire & Rescue’s Hazmat Team is over-seeing this operation, evaluating the materials and the run off for any hazardous materials."

Once the trash is removed and the fire extinguished, the trash will be loaded into large dumpsters and transferred to another location, she added.  

There are no injuries reported.  The facility itself and nearby businesses were not threatened by the fire.           

Heartland Fire & Rescue received assistance from the Santee and Lakeside Fire Departments, San Miguel Fire Protection District, and San Diego Fire & Rescue and their and Hazmat Team.

Firefighters gained control soon after, reducing the conflagration to a smoldering, wet mess. HAZMAT was called to assess material and be sure that no toxic matter was in the runoff, then gave the all clear soon after.

The fire remaisn in mop-up operations this evening but will require personnel-intensive efforts and a long commitment due to the large volume of trash.

Sign up for free Viejas Wildfire & Emergency Alerts via email at the top right side of our homepage and also receive a free weekly copy of East County Magazine.  You can also follow ViejasAlerts on Twitter.  We recommend all of the above since you don't know what form of communications will work best in an actual regional emergency.