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Arcadia planning commission hears downtown fire response, contamination concerns and recovery plans
Summary
City and fire officials described a fast-moving commercial fire on Jan. 2 that destroyed multiple downtown buildings; staff said they proclaimed a local emergency to preserve state support, deployed containment measures for runoff, and estimated roughly 2.0–2.5 million gallons of water were used to stop the blaze.
Arcadia planning commissioners received a detailed update on the Jan. 2 downtown commercial fire, its response and early recovery steps. Arcadia Fire District Chief Emmons said the fire began about 2:30 p.m. and spread quickly in high winds, forcing an initial offensive attack to shift to defensive operations when structure collapse became likely.
The city and mutual-aid partners used three in-service ladder trucks and multiple engines to search, evacuate and attack the fire, Chief Emmons said. Mutual-aid agencies from across the 101 corridor assisted; excavators provided by GR Sundberg Inc. and Figus were later used to contain spread once some buildings had collapsed. Staff estimated roughly 2.0–2.5 million gallons of water were applied to the incident during suppression efforts.
City Manager Merrick Perry and Community Development Director David Loya…
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