Smoke inhalation has and always will be a concern for first responders and those in the path of a wildfire, but the air just got a little more dangerous in California after highly toxic pesticides caught fire at an agricultural property in Laguna Farms, Calif.
The property where the pesticides were stored was near the California State University Channel Islands campus.
Ventura County air pollution officials say the smoke and soot are making air quality bad throughout the area, and health warnings have been issued to residents in nearby communities.
Officials warn that even if the flames of the wildfire are not visible, inhaling the toxic smoke could result in serious health effects such as burning one’s internal organs and damaging the respiratory system. Inhaling the pesticides can also lead to loss of reflexes, inability to breathe, blindness, unconsciousness or death.
Neighborhoods about 50 miles from Los Angeles in southern California have already been evacuated, and firefighters cloaked in hazmat suits continue to attempt to put out the fire that has already burned more than 12 square miles and damaged 15 homes.
A hazardous materials team was called in specifically to deal with the pesticides that caught on fire.
No deaths or injuries related to the toxic chemicals in the air have been reported, which could be an amazing feat given what happened last month after a Texas fertilizer plant exploded. More than 200 people were injured and 15 people died in the West Chemical and Fertilizer Company plant explosion, but those numbers could increase in the next few months as the health effects of residents inhaling the toxic air become known.
Be aware: Don’t breathe in the toxic air
Tom Kruschke is the spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. He said the fire is still growing rapidly and the situation is very dangerous for firefighters, and provided some information on what the public should do:
“We are asking members of the public to be very aware: This is very dangerous. This is still a moving fire. If you were asked to evacuate, it will be awhile before you are allowed in. And if at one point you are uncomfortable, please leave the area. It’s not safe to stay.”
As of Friday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention said the 28,000-acre fire was holding fast and reported they had contained 30 percent of the fire, but that the fire was still headed toward Malibu.
Bill Nash, another spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department, said wind gusts and unusually dry conditions have resulted in the wildfire spreading rapidly. Another issue facing the some 925 firefighters working to put out the Camarillo Springs fire is a lack of water resources.
According to the California Department of Water Resources, the water content in the snowpack was just 17 percent of normal levels. The snowmelt is a vital water source for the state.
“We’re faced with a situation right now where the vegetation on the hillsides, the moisture level is what we typically see in August,” Nash said.
“We’ve got hot, dirty, unglamorous firefighting work going on right now, guys with shovels trying to scratch out lines on the ground,” he continued. “We’ve got those guys on these steep hillside in the dark with nothing but the light of the fire and a flashlight.”
Mark Brewer, 52, is a resident of Camarillo, Calif., who evacuated his home since it was in the projected path of the wildfire. He said dealing with wildfires is part of living in Southern California, just like earthquakes. California is infamous for wildfires, but it’s rare that large amounts of pesticides go up in flames and threaten the health of surrounding communities.
Reportedly, the last time a major pesticide fire occurred in California was in June 1985, when a warehouse containing organophosphates and carbamates in Anaheim went up in flames and the Coast Guard toxic waste team was called in to help extinguish the fire. About 11,500 people were evacuated and the freeway was closed as teams worked to extinguish the fire.