A fire at the Certified recycling center in Spring Valley left a firefighter injured, and two homes damaged

CA FIREFIGHTER INJURED AT RECYCLING CENTER FIRE

August 2, 2016 

SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

A fire at the Certified recycling center in Spring Valley left a firefighter injured, and two homes damaged, authorities said.

Four firefighters were seen carrying the injured man away from the facility in the 3800 block of Bancroft Drive about an hour after the fire sparked. The firefighter could be seen sitting up and talking before being placed in an ambulance.

The firefighter was being treated at a hospital after fracturing his left shoulder and leg, Cal Fire Capt. Isaac Sanchez told FOX 5.

Mounds of cardboard and other recyclables were burning outside the facility around 6:30 a.m., fire officials said. Firefighters continued to battle the fire as of 9 a.m.

Four homes near the facility were evacuated as a precaution. The actual commercial building on the property was not damaged, Sanchez said. One unit in a nearby duplex had extensive damage and the adjacent unit was damaged by smoke.

The fire started in a large bundle of cardboard. What caused it to start was under investigation.

The fire prompted authorities to shut down Bancroft Drive from state Route 94 to Kenwood Drive, and Helix Street between Bancroft Street and Kenwood Drive, according to the county Department of Public Works.

Later in the day, another firefighter was transported for evaluation for a heat related injury. 
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Cardboard piles stoke fire at Spring Valley recycling center
A duplex was damaged by the blaze and one firefighter was injured

By Pauline Repard | 7:14 a.m. Aug. 2, 2016 | Updated, 1:04 p.m.



SPRING VALLEY — Flames tore through hundreds of bundles of cardboard at a Spring Valley recycling center Tuesday morning, injuring one firefighter and damaging a nearby duplex.

The sight of a huge column of black smoke caused motorists to slow down on nearby state Route 94, authorities said.

The blaze was reported about 6:30 a.m. on Bancroft Drive at Helix Street. The first fire crews to get there estimated that a half-acre of cardboard was burning and structures were threatened. Deputies alerted families to evacuate at least four residences adjacent to the plant.

The cardboard had been compacted into seven-foot long bundles and stacked around the property and under a corrugated metal roof, Cal Fire Capt. Isaac Sanchez said.

As many as 80 or 90 firefighters got part of the blaze under control by about 7:15 a.m.

About 15 minutes later, one firefighter radioed that he had an emergency situation with an injured firefighter. One stack of cardboard bundles had fallen on the man. Medics took the firefighter to a hospital with possible injuries to a shoulder and leg.

Sanchez did not know the extent of the firefighter’s injuries.

The roaring flames damaged a Helix Street duplex next to the recycling center, but firefighters kept the flames from spreading to other homes or a building on the plant property. Four adults and a child evacuated from the homes as a precaution. The Red Cross was called in to assist the duplex residents.

Firefighters gained the upper hand on the fire about 8:30 a.m. and expected to spend the rest of the day, and likely overnight, tearing apart the bundles to thoroughly soak them and prevent flare-ups, Sanchez said.



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