Massive fire destroys Mare Island warehouse, lights up East Bay
VALLEJO, Calif. (KTVU & BCN ) -- Firefighters are investigating the cause of multiple-alarm overnight structure fire that destroyed an industrial warehouse on Mare Island.
The fire broke out at ALCO Iron & Metal Co. at 629 Azuar Drive at about 11:43PM Thursday night.
It quickly grew to three alarms, with firefighters calling in help from all over Solano County including and air unit from Travis Air Force Base.
The Vallejo Fire Department asked the community to avoid the area during the firefight because fire was spreading to nearby vegetation.
Crews were able to contain all the spot fires, but it was a very active firefight for several hours.
As of 5:00am, fire officials said the fire is still not fully contained and could burn for at least the rest of the day and possibly for several days.
Flames and light from the blaze could be seen all over the East Bay and several KTVU viewers took pictures and video and posted them on social media.
As of 4:30am, there have not been any reports of injuries and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Battalion Chief Cliff Campbell, told KTVU that the 62,500 square foot warehouse contained multiple hazardous items including e-waste, used oils, propane, and lead batteries.
However, fire officials say no shelter in place warning was issued for nearby residents and there was any danger to the public from the smoke.
A spokesperson for ALCO Iron & Metal Co. released a statement to KTVU. It read:
ALCO Iron & Metal Co. unfortunately had a fire on our Mare Island Facility yesterday evening. We are very thankful that everyone was safe and that there was s swift response from the Fire Department. Once we review the full investigative report we will have more information. We expect to have a temporary setup early next week to continue serving our customers.
The fire marks the nearly one year anniversary of another that happened in the scrap yard at ALCO Iron and Metal in 2014. Vallejo Fire said that blaze was caused by a machine with a claw that was picking up metals and the heat generated by the metal contact caused a spark.
The Solano County Department of Resource Management last inspected the building in January 2015 and found no major violations.
ALCO Iron & Metal also experienced a fire in August of 2014 and Hazmat Teams responded because of concerns about hazardous chemicals.
A shelter in place warning was issued for that blaze after several piles of scrap metal caught fire, including washers, dryers, and propane water heaters.