55-gallon Drums of Pickles, Peppers Consumed in Calif. Fire

May 28, 2014
The cause remains under investigation.

May 28--A Los Angeles firefighter was injured Tuesday night battling a massive fire in Lincoln Heights that engulfed a scrap yard and storage drums full of pickles and peppers.

The blaze began about 8 p.m. at ASAP Auto Wrecking in the 1800 block of Hancock Street and quickly grew as it spread across metals that react with water and actually fueled the flames, officials said.

The fire sent huge plumes of dense black smoke into the air and triggered small explosions among the car scraps while it engulfed 55-gallon drums of pickles and peppers.

"The fire was burning voraciously," city Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

It took nearly 100 firefighters about an hour to put down the flames. The fire also briefly threatened a home. The injured firefighter suffered smoke exposure and dehydration.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation and the monetary loss from the fire has yet to be determined.

Copyright 2014 - Los Angeles Times

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