Port of L.A. Reopens Container Terminals After Wharf Fire
The Port of Los Angeles on Sept. 23 reopened its container terminals after a fire at an old wooden wharf caused air quality concerns, the Associated Press reported.
Terminals also have reopened at the nearby Port of Long Beach, after three were closed for the day shift, according to the port.
The fire broke out in the early evening Sept. 22 underneath a steel warehouse after a welding torch set off World War II-era pylons covered in the tar-like wood preservative creosote, the Los Angeles Times reported.
No injuries have been reported, but the chemical-soaked pylons made extinguishing the fire difficult, the paper reported.
About 850 workers were evacuated as smoke reached two terminals, the Associated Press reported.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it deployed about 150 firefighters, fire boats and divers. Two large cargo ships were moved as a precaution.
The Port of Los Angeles moves about $780 million of cargo each day. The consequences of delays from the fire are expected to travel down the supply chain — from truckers who won’t get paid for the day to exporters and retailers whose products won't show up on time, the AP reported.
