About 150 firefighters Monday night contained the bulk of a dramatic dock fire in Wilmington that sent massive plumes of thick black smoke into the air, officials said. No one was injured.
The “major emergency” fire broke out about 6:50 p.m. and threatened a nearby warehouse and ship in the Port of Los Angeles before being brought under control about two hours later, the LAFD said. Officials had initially reported that a boat was on fire.
About 40 feet of a 150-foot section of the dock was burning, said Capt. Jamie Moore of the L.A. Fire Department, and firefighters were dousing the flames “by air, land and sea.”
All five of the LAFD’s boats were deployed in the effort, as were boats from the Long Beach Fire Department, Moore said. Divers were attacking the blaze from below as it ripped through at least two terminals.
“I really want to emphasize the dangers that our firefighters are under, because they’re in that water right now, with that dark smoke, trying to manage these [hoses] underneath burning product that’s above them … knowing that there’s large coils of heavy steel above them that at any time could fall through,” he said.
Ships that had been threatened by the fire were moved to safety.
The APL and NYK Line terminals were evacuated due to smoke, as were 850 terminal employees as a precaution, the LAFD said.
Authorities urged residents of Wilmington, Long Beach and San Pedro to avoid the smoke by staying indoors and closing their windows.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation. There was no preliminary indication that it was the result of arson, Moore said.
Fire department personnel, including a hazmat team, were expected to remain at the scene throughout the evening.