Firefighters are using heavy equipment to get to the source of a fire at the Santa Clara-based business ECS Refining — the third blaze within three years at the site, which specializes in electronics recycling.
The fire prompted an order for residents to stay inside and close their windows while firefighters put out the blaze. It caused no injuries.
Reported at noon, by 3 p.m. firefighters controlled of the fire at 735 Reed St. in a light industrial section of Santa Clara. The facility recycles plastics and metals from electronics scrap, such as circuit boards, computers, circuits and televisions.
Plumes of black smoke could be seen from adjacent freeways. Although the facility is located near the Mineta San Jose International Airport, a spokesman said it wasn’t affecting flights.
Santa Clara Deputy City Manager Carol McCarthy said the county used the “AlertSCC” system to urge eople withiin a rectangular area of Reed, Grant and Lafayette Streets and El Camino Real to stay indoors — called “sheltering in place” — due the smoke and burning materials. The alert system notifies people by email, pager and cell phone.
Santa Clara firefighters called for mutual aid from various cities for help.
“We’re all inside, with windows and doors closed. It smells like burning plastic,” said Ken Clark of Motorspeed West on Grant Street, an auto repair shop.
“It’s right across the street from us,” he said. “They store electronics and TV monitors, all stacked all up on pallets, wrapped with Saran wrap. The whole lot is full of them.”
“It is their third fire,” he said. “They were supposed to be moving before they had another fire.”
The previous blaze, in September 2009, caused no injuries but firefighters needed to wear a special self-contained breathing apparatus to safely douse it. That incident originated in piles of shredded plastic.
In October 2007, a fire at the same site necessitated medical treatment of two firefighters and two civilians. That four-alarm fire burned for over three hours and consumed a large debris fire, plastic computers and pallets.
Some electronics, such as circuit boards, contain mercury, which can bind with oxygen when burned and is potentially dangerous if inhaled.
By Lisa M. Krieger, Lisa Fernandez and Marissa Cevallos / Mercury News
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