Crews Knock Down “Major Emergency” Structure Fire Involving Hazardous Chemicals

Firefighters on Wednesday morning battled a blaze for more than two hours at a Panorama City business with a heavy presence of hazardous chemicals, officials said.

The blaze erupted through the roof of a one-story metal plating business at 14660 Arminta St. just after 3 a.m., said Brian Humphrey, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

Crews knocked down the fire by 5:25 a.m. with no injuries to firefighters or residents. Officials were working to make sure the chemicals would not contaminate area water and air.

The burned building is the size of a football field, and the plating business inside had burners and acidic chemicals used for stripping metals, said LAFD Capt. Jaime Moore.

"We had some cyanide and some other chemicals which are very very acidic," said Moore.

More than 160 firefighters battled the blaze described as a "major emergency structure fire" that roared through the walls and windows of the building, Humphrey said.

The fire ripped through the building of aerospace business Aero Chrome Plating, and video from the scene showed flames in what appeared to be a second business, Nationwide.

Black smoke and huge flames could be seen pouring out of windows and through the structure's roof.

Arminta Street was closed from Van Nuys Boulevard to Willis Avenue while crews put out a few remaining hot spots.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

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