Firefighters were waiting for titanium shavings that caught fire Monday night in a refuse container outside of a metal recycling center to burn out, fire officials said.
The fire was reported around 7:30 p.m. in the 300 block of East Gardena Boulevard in Carson, between Avalon Boulevard and Main Street, said Kyle Sanford of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The fire originally started in one bin and later spread to three containers, firefighters said.
When firefighters arrived, they did not know that there were titanium shavings in the blaze. When firefighters put water on the fire, the flames reacted and firefighters backed away, said David Danzig, a fire specialist for Los Angeles County Fire Department.
More than 30 firefighters and hazmat workers responded to the blaze.
Officials said there was no negative environmental impact as a result of the fire; water and air had been tested.
Firefighters said it was likely they would remain at the scene all night and wait for the fire to burn out or smother it with sand.
News
Top news of the day
The cause of the fire was unknown and no evacuations were necessary, firefighters said.
No injuries were reported.
City News Service contributed to this report.
