FAIRFIELD, Calif. --
A massive fire burned thousands of plastic containers and chemicals at an industrial complex in Fairfield, Tuesday afternoon.
The six-alarm fire ignited just after 1 p.m. and sent black smoke billowing into the air that could be seen from downtown Sacramento.
Internal fire temperatures reached 1200 degrees, enough to burn through a chain link fence, firefighters told KCRA.
The fire was contained just after 4 p.m., the Fairfield Fire Marshal said.
The inferno broke out in a storage area at the Macro Plastics Inc. complex, which is in an industrial area near Travis Air Force Base. The company, headquartered at at 2250 Huntington Drive, makes plastic containers for agricultural products.
A massive six-alarm fire ignited at a plastics plant in Fairfield and sent a toxic column of smoke billowing high into the air Tuesday. (July 26, 2011)
All 45 employees at the company were accounted for, and no one was injured, the Fairfield Fire Marshal said.
Burning chemicals being stored at the plant burned and sent thick black smoke high into the air.
The smoke was toxic in the air, but because it dissipates quickly, it was not harmful to people on the ground. None of the burned plastics are listed as hazardous materials by OSHA.
At 2 p.m., the sky turned dark from the smoke. "Looks like it's midnight at my house right now," resident Colleen Camacho told KCRA.
Flames roaring out of the plant's large industrial building leaped as high as 100 feet. The fire generated its own energy from the heat and crews hauled plastic that had not ignited away on forklifts.
City and safety officials did not ordered any evacuations due to the fire.
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