Witnesses report hearing explosions
CITY YARDS — Four trash trucks operating on compressed natural gas burned to a crisp Wednesday evening, creating a massive cloud of smoke and flames that reached far into the approaching night sky.
No one was injured in the blaze, for which the damage is estimated to be at least $1.3 million, said Santa Monica Fire Department Capt. Ken Polhill. It took firefighters nearly 20 minutes to get the fire under control and a couple more hours to completely extinguish the area. The fire was reported to the SMFD at 7:52 p.m.
Officials do know the cause of the fire, and have yet to determine what ignited the compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station at the city yards.
Several trucks and city vehicles, like Big Blue Buses, were parked at the yards, hooked up to the CNG station. The station allows the vehicles to slowly fill, with the pump automatically shutting off when full, Polhill said.
The tanks are designed not to explode — they have a relief valve built in to them in case of a leak, but the fuel already in the trucks is what firefighters had to combat. Witnesses reported hearing several explosions, which turned out to be the trucks’ tires blowing up, Polhill said.
“It became an issue of the trash trucks and their fuel,” he said. “It gave the appearance of a dramatic fire... a chin-dropper for sure. It was really going strong.”
Four fire engines and a hazmat truck responded. Investigators were on the scene all day Thursday, as well as several other agencies including local, state and federal officials.
“It’s going to take a while,” to determine the cause, Polhill said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 5, 2005. Read the original PDF.