LOS ANGELES (AP) - All container terminals at the Port of Los Angeles were shut down, a nearby school was evacuated, and area residents were advised to stay indoors as a precaution over concerns about air quality from a stubborn fire Tuesday at a Port of Los Angeles wharf.
The eight terminals likely will remain closed until the night shift begins at about 5 p.m., port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said. He estimated a few thousand employees, mostly longshore workers, were sent home. At the twin Port of Long Beach, three of six cargo terminals were shut down, City Manager Pat West told City News Service.
The blaze that started Monday night burned a warehouse and forced about 850 people to flee before firefighters brought the bulk of it under control.
However, the fire continued to smolder and send up smoke Tuesday, and Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said it could take until afternoon or evening for crews to fully extinguish it. "This is a very, very difficult fire to fight," he said.
About 700 students and 30 faculty members at Wilmington's De La Torre Elementary School were taken by bus to Olguin High School, on the campus of San Pedro High School, said Monica Carazo of the LA Unified School District.
She said the move came after fire officials grew concerned when shifting winds sent smoke toward the school. Other schools remained open with all outdoor activities suspended.
Sanfield said the amount of smoke had diminished greatly since the early morning, as crews continued to dump water and fire-fighting foam onto hotspots.
The fire smoldered among the wooden pier timbers, which were coated with water-resistant, highly flammable creosote, a byproduct of the coal industry that is used to prevent erosion.
Thick smoke prompted the Los Angeles fire and police officials to advise residents in Wilmington, San Pedro and Long Beach to remain indoors and keep windows closed as a precaution.