Evacuation orders have been issued in La Verne after a hazardous lithium-ion fire broke out at the Metropolitan Water District on Tuesday afternoon.
The La Verne Police Department said the fire erupted at around 11:40 a.m. at the facility in the 3200 block of Wheeler Avenue. La Verne firefighters said that upon arrival, they heard a small explosion in a battery storage unit on the northeast side of the large facility.
Evacuations were briefly issued for everyone near Wheeler and Bonita Avenue, at which point police urged residents to gather their families and leave the area. Some orders were downgraded later in the evening, but as of 11 p.m., approximately 200 people were still under mandatory evacuation orders.
Aerial footage of the fire showed fire engines using their ladders to spray the area with water.
One injury has been reported by firefighters, but they did not say if it was a civilian or crew member.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Schools impacted as firefighters work to control fire
Residents east of Wheeler Avenue were also told to shelter in place and close all windows and doors until further notice. At the time, shelter-in-place orders were issued at Grace Miller Elementary School and Bonita High School, but students were released from their campuses a little after 3 p.m.
Grace Miller Elementary, which is less than half a mile from the water district facility, would be closed on Wednesday out of an abundance of caution, firefighters said.
La Verne firefighters said they believe they have the fire under control, but crews would remain on scene overnight to ensure they could address any issues that may arise. Late Tuesday night, they said that there were still some batteries inside the storage unit that were not damaged, meaning they were still energized and could pose a further threat if flames were to reactivate overnight.
Firefighters also said that a second storage unit near the spot of the fire was being monitored due to heat and smoke exposure.
Evacuation orders issued
Evacuations were temporarily issued for several neighborhoods in the surrounding area but were lifted at around 4 p.m.
As of 6 p.m., evacuation orders remained in place for:
Evacuation warnings were also issued for:
“We don’t want you in there until we get these completely under control,” said La Verne FD Battalion Chief Mark Savage. “Things are looking much better now, however, it’s batteries and they can have a mind of their own a little bit. So, we want to make sure we get people out of harm’s way and keep them out while it can still be hazardous.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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