Crews largely extinguished a fire at a metal recycling plant in Redwood City on Wednesday that sent a large plume of smoke across the Peninsula.
The fire was at the Sims Metal recycling center at 699 Seaport Blvd. Smoke was first seen shortly before 3 p.m
Video of the smoke was posted via the Citizen app and was also visible on Alert Wildfire cameras. Aerial footage showed several fire trucks pouring water on the fire.
Below you can see helicopter video of crews battling the fire.
The Redwood City Fire Department said plant officials told them the fire started in one of their metal scrap piles before it was shredded around 3 p.m. The plant immediately contacted Redwood City Fire.
Workers at the plant helped firefighters spread the pile, doing some shredding and working with firefighters to reach the burning materials.
Fire officials said the scrap pile consists of boilers, cars and other scrap metal. For the larger pieces of metal, cranes with grabs are required to move and spread the piles. Workers also shred as much material as possible as quickly as possible to soften the embers.
Redwood City Fire said some of the metal scrap contains chemical foam material, which contributes to the smoke. The hottest burning metal is in the center of the pile, making the fire difficult to extinguish.
Shortly before 5 p.m., crews had been on scene for nearly two hours, fire officials said. They estimated that the fire would be under control around 5:30 p.m. and that it would take about another half hour for factory workers to finish shredding the scrap.
Officials said once the fire was extinguished, investigators will review video footage from SIMS Metal to try to determine the cause. Redwood City Fire said crews would likely be at the plant until 8 p.m
The fire appeared to be out before 6pm, with very little smoke rising from the scrap piles at the recycling centre.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District told CBS News Bay Area that their inspectors were investigating the incident.
“There is potential for smoke impacts in the immediate area and downwind neighborhoods,” a BAAQMD spokesperson said in an email. “The public can avoid exposure to smoke by staying indoors with windows and doors closed, temperature permitting. Residents should follow the instructions of local health officials.”
Sunnyvale officials issued an advisory regarding smoke from the fire and informed residents that the fire was not burning within city limits. Those who are sensitive to smoke were advised to stay indoors if possible. Authorities in Mountain View also advised residents to only report a fire if they could see flames, given the smoke coming from Redwood City.
