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COMPTON (CBSLA) – A large fire erupted at a pallet yard in an industrial area of Compton early Friday morning, sparking transformer explosions which lit up the sky as the blaze spread to a nearby bus yard, shutting down streets and forcing nearby evacuations.
Feb. 26, 2021. (CBSLA)
It took about four hours for crews to bring the flames under control. A pallet yard, bus yard and mattress warehouse all burned, but no homes or apartments were damaged.
The blaze broke out at a pallet business in the 500 block of East Weber Street in Compton sometime before 4:30 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. An adjacent bus yard then caught fire. Sky2 footage showed at least 10 buses, including school buses and luxury charter buses, ablaze.
About 100 L.A. County County firefighters rushed to the scene to battle the huge flames as deputies warned nearby residents to get out of the area as businesses were evacuated.
Large explosions could be heard as several transformers and power lines sparked and popped. In one case, dangerous sparks could be seen emanating from a small structure with firefighters just feet away. Plumes of black smoke could be seen from as far away as the Hollywood Hills.
Feb. 26, 2021. (CBSLA)
A firefighter suffered minor ankle injury, but there were no reports of any serious injuries. However, a man who works at Reddaway, a trucking company down the block from the pallet yard, told CBSLA that both he and his coworker were struck by power lines. They were not taken to hospitals.
“The power line hit me in the arm, and my partner also got hit, but he got hit in the back. He got a little bit more of an injury than I did,” Robert Vega told CBSLA.
Vega said he heard the transformer explode.
“I heard it from the main source there, and then it started coming down,” Vega said. “And then it sparked up there on top, and I looked and it hit me, and then I started running. And that’s when it hit me on the arm. And there was someone else there standing beside us and he ran for his life too.”
The fire had knocked out electricity to about 50 Southern California Edison customers. As of 7:15 a.m., only 3 customers were without power, according to SCE’s website.
The cause of the blaze was not known.
A man who works near where the Compton fire broke out Friday morning describes being struck by a power line after a transformer exploded: “The power line hit me in the arm, and my partner also got hit, but he got hit in the back.” LATEST HERE: https://t.co/CmYfUPCR9d pic.twitter.com/WHgP8L1rOQ
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) February 26, 2021
WATCH: Dangerous sparks can be seen emanating from a small structure as crews battle a large fire burning in Compton. LIVE COVERAGE HERE: https://t.co/CmYfUPCR9d pic.twitter.com/EXKsnCrASc
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) February 26, 2021
WATCH: There have been several transformer explosions as a massive fire burns in an industrial area of Compton. LIVE COVERAGE HERE: https://t.co/CmYfUPCR9d pic.twitter.com/hxN0oneeAN
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) February 26, 2021
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