Fifty firefighters on Tuesday morning extinguished a fire in a city yard outside Arcadia’s Public Works Department, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
The blaze broke out about 5:15 a.m. in a carport at the location, located in the 11000 block of Goldring Road (map), said Battalion Chief Barry Spriggs of the Arcadia Fire Department. A compressed natural-gas street sweeper in the carport also caught fire, he said.
Personnel from the Monrovia and Los Angeles County fire departments also responded to the scene.
“Although the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, preliminary findings indicate that a substantial explosion occurred” beforehand, according to a news release.
Multiple witnesses said they heard the large explosion at about 5:20 a.m.
“One bang rattled my house, about half a mile away,” said resident Andrew Bettridge.
A preliminary estimate of the damage was $100,000 for the carport and $350,000 for the street sweeper, the Fire Department said. Tools and other city vehicles were also damaged.