Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
The City of Los Angeles has filed suit against Clean Up America, Inc. over the costs of battling a trash fire that took six weeks to fully extinguish.
Clean Up American operates a recycling center that is authorized to have up to 2.8 million pounds of trash in piles as high as 12 feet. According to the lawsuit, on September 18, 2016 Clean Up America had a trash pile that was 25 feet high, 252 feet long and 250 feet wide, and contained an estimated 22 million pounds of trash.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the fire was knocked down in a day, but it took over a month to fully extinguish it. The Times quoted LAFD Deputy Chief Phillip Fligie as saying: “Basically it was a mulch pile. It’s very, very problematic because you can’t put it out unless you spread it out and hit it with water. It continued to smolder because it created its own heat.”
A four person crew remained on scene until November 16, 2016. The suit seeks to recoup the costs associated with extinguishing the fire, as well as requiring Clean Up America to comply with state and local regulations. More on the story.
