Fire in Placentia Causes Evacuation
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A 100-pound drum of red phosphorous erupted into flames at a Placentia chemical plant on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of 13 employees from surrounding buildings.
No one was injured, but the threat of toxic fumes from the burning chemicals prompted the precautionary evacuation, said Orange County Fire Capt. Lou Furst.
Nineteen firefighters, one medical unit and a hazardous materials unit responded to the fire at Chem-Lab Products about 2:15 p.m.
The fire was controlled within 15 minutes and did not spread to other materials in the plant, Furst said.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
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