Anaheim Salvage Yard Violated City, State Codes, Officials Say

An Anaheim auto salvage firm violated city and state code requirements by disconnecting a sprinkling system atop a pile of contaminated and highly flammable auto debris, which ignited in a potentially toxic fire Sunday evening, authorities said Tuesday.

Fear that the fire would produce clouds of toxic fumes forced the evacuation of more than 200 people living or staying near Orange County Steel Salvage Inc. at 3200 E. Frontera St. No one was injured in the incident, and city and state health officials said there appeared to be no health threat stemming from the fire.

50,000 Tons of Residue

The 50,000-ton mound of shredded auto residue--known in the auto salvage industry as “fluff”--contains toxic levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a suspected carcinogen.

The state is conducting an investigation to determine why a sprinkling system installed on top of the fluff to prevent just the type of fire that erupted Sunday had been disconnected in violation of state health department orders, a state official said Tuesday.

“We have information that it wasn’t connected, and the attorney general is looking at the situation,” said James McNally, program manager of the hazardous waste division for the regional office in Los Angeles of the state Department of Health Services.

“For whatever reason it wasn’t functioning, it is a violation of an administrative order that there be a fire prevention system, and that the owner prevent any fire,” McNally said. “We are examining what options to take to see that it doesn’t happen again.”

City officials said Tuesday that George Adams Jr., owner of the company, apparently violated another provision of the order by not maintaining enough distance between the contaminated pile and a smaller pile of auto debris where Sunday night’s fire originated. The fire then spread to a portion of the PCBs-contaminated mound where the sprinkler system had been dismantled, city officials said.

Fire officials had inspected the sprinkling system a few weeks ago and found that it was operating properly, a spokeswoman for the City of Anaheim said. The inspectors also found that there was a sufficient amount of space between the piles of auto debris.

“But between the time of the inspection and the time of the fire, a portion of the sprinkling system had been disconnected, and there was no longer a clear separation between the two piles,” spokeswoman Sheri Erlewine said. “The pipes of the sprinkling system were disassembled and stacked in the area where the fire spread.”

Adams said Tuesday that the sprinkling system was disconnected so that soil samples could be collected for studies to determine the best way to clean up the site. However, city officials said the drilling occurred at some distance from the sprinkling system and should not have caused it to be dismantled.

Source of Controversy

Operations at the salvage yard have been a source of controversy for years, and some elected city officials have maintained that the shredded mass of auto and appliance debris poses a significant health threat.

Yet despite calls after the fire by two city councilmen to shut down the firm, the Anaheim City Council on Tuesday delayed a decision on revoking the firm’s operating permit until state and county health officials have completed tests to determine if contamination has spread since the fire.

Health officials said earthen dikes placed around the 12-acre site apparently prevented any run-off of water used to fight the blaze. Nearly 200,000 gallons of water have accumulated in one large pool about three inches deep and in several smaller pools.

Preliminary results indicate that the water contains high levels of lead, zinc and copper, but tests to determine levels of PCBs have not been completed, said James Bennett, executive officer of the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. Bennett said arrangements are being made to pump the water into the area sewer system, pending outcome of the tests for PCBs.

Meanwhile, state health officials said they will seek to modify a court order against Adams that restricts operations at the salvage yard to include maintaining an adequate fire prevention system. Adams may also face fines for violating state health and safety codes stemming from the fire, McNally said.

State health officials concede, though, that the fire has not hastened a solution to cleaning up the PCBs-contaminated shredder residue--the largest such pile in the state, according to officials.

“Despite the fire, right now Mr. Adams is in compliance with the clean-up order,” said McNally. Under the order, Adams must submit a removal plan for the contaminated waste by August. But McNally said they may seek to speed up that date.

Adams has indicated that feasibility studies are currently under way. The state has estimated cleanup would cost from $18 million to $30 million.

“Only if it becomes apparent that Adams can’t come up with anything acceptable would the state be forced to intercede and come up with a plan,” McNally said.