Massive inferno, explosions rip through SoCal metal yard — forcing shelter-in-place order from toxic cloud

A three-alarm blaze struck a massive metal recycling facility in South El Monte Wednesday, sending fireballs into the sky as it triggered a series of explosions and subsequent shelter-in-place orders.

The inferno erupted around 2:30 p.m. at P&T Metals, a scrap yard on the 2200 block of North Tyler Avenue, and quickly transformed the facility into a black wasteland of twisted metal and thick smoke that could be seen for miles, The Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Some 112 personnel from the LAFD rushed to the scene, were the situation was so volatile that crews were forced into a “defensive position” outside the plant, which they could not enter because the flames were too intense, department spokesperson Keith Navarre told the LA Times.

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As toxic smoke billowed from the site, authorities issued an urgent shelter-in-place order for the immediate area at about 4:40 p.m, which they later expanded to a zone that included several nearby streets.

In a post on X, the department advised nearby residents to close all windows, doors, shut off all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems for the duration of the shelter-in-place order.

P&T Metals, the four-acre facility which has been in the neighborhood for nearly 60 years, processes everything from aluminum, copper, brass, high-temperature alloys and more.

Per fire officials, KTLA5 reported that multiple propane tanks exploded at the site and the blaze was classified as a titanium fire, with Urban Search and Rescue teams and hazardous materials units called in.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unknown.