A fire at the Port of Los Angeles, continued to smolder early today, with firefighters hopeful it could be extinguished before the resumption of daytime operations.
The fire had burned about 150 feet of a pier and forced the evacuation of 850 workers.
No injuries were reported at the fire, which broke out at 6:41 p.m. at berths 177 and 179 at 802 S. Fries Ave., where cargo ships are loaded and unloaded, Katherine Main of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Main said that while the blaze had been largely contained by 8:30 p.m. it continued to smoulder among the pier timbers, which were coated with water-resistant, highly flammable creosote.
A backhoe had been used to dig a trench in the pier as a virtual fireline to prevent the flames from spreading, Main said.
Smoke from the fire prompted both the LAFD and the Los Angeles Police Department to issue advisories to local residents in Wilmington, San Pedro and Long Beach to remain indoors and keep windows closed.
Boats tied to the dock were moved to safety, Main said, and workers were evacuated as a precaution.
Firefighters from the Long Beach Fire Department also were among the 150 firefighters battling the four-alarm blaze.
The LAFD brought out two of its large fire-fighting boats docked in San Pedro, along with two of its smaller ones. One of the big boats can shoot out 38,000 gallons a minute, according to KCAL9.
Divers attacked the fire from under the water, and helicopters overhead also were involved.
The fire was in Berths 177 and 179 on a 40-acre area from where big cargo ships load and unload. Four people were evacuated from the warehouse.
The fire was not directly burning in the warehouse, but rather was threatening the pier underneath the warehouse, Main said.
Main said firefighters hoped to have the fire out by 6:30 a.m., when the first workers at the port report.
