Photo by Michael Woodward
HOT JOBS: Anderson Fire Protection District personnel fight a storage tank fire fueled by jelled fiberglass resin on Wednesday, Jan. 16.
A fire broke out in Anderson on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 11:20 a.m. at the former Sunset Plastics site on Parallel Road. The fire was limited to a 3,000-gallon industrial storage tank half full of fiberglass resin. The property, owned by Horizon One Construction, was under demolition.
The fire was caused by the sparks of a demolition crew cutting open the tank. According to Fire Chief Joe Piccinini, the crew was employed by the property owner and thought the storage tank was empty. Piccinini said the workers should not have cut into a tank filled with a flammable substance.
Amid high winds, the Anderson Fire Protection District wore protective breathing equipment when approaching the fire. Fire Marshal Howard Fincher cautioned onlookers to remain upwind of the potentially toxic smoke.
No other structures were threatened by the fire that was extinguished by 12:30 p.m.
According to Fincher, the Shasta County Building Department and the county Department of Environmental Health concurred that the demolition company, Horizon One Construction, was operating within its permit requirements. Horizon One Construction is expected to haul the drum to an appropriate disposal site.
“After the resin had been in there for so long and gelled, it’s no longer considered a hazard. It’s just an unfortunate accident,” Fincher said.
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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