Two tanker trucks filled with roofing material caught fire near a vacant Inland Empir warehouse Saturday night, tying down firefighters and hazardous materials experts until early Sunday morning.
Firefighters responded at 11:10 p.m. Saturday to a report of black smoke coming from a commercial warehouse that was still under construction on East Nance Street, west of Redlands Avenue, in Perris, Riverside County fire officials said.
Emergency crews found a pressurized tank on a commercial tanker truck aflame. With help from March Air Reserve Base fire crews, county fire units battled the fire for much of the evening, slowed by the fact that the chemicals involved could react dangerously with the addition of water, officials said.
The fire was largely contained by 5:31 a.m., but a water tender remained on scene to watch for flare-ups until 8 a.m.
In all, two trucks containing roofing materials were destroyed.
The nearby warehouse was not damaged and no injuries were reported.
