Fire closes produce aisle
Walmart ordered to dispose of food contaminated in firefighting efforts
County public health officials ordered Walmart to destroy food contaminated by a fire extinguisher used in dousing an early morning fire at the store Tuesday.
Shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire, a Fire Department spokesman told The Signal Tuesday morning.
Firefighters arriving at the scene at 5:01 a.m. reported seeing light smoke inside the building, he said.
“The call came in as a commercial structure fire on 26000 block of Carl Boyer Drive,” the Fire Department spokesman said.
Firefighters extinguished the fire within five minutes of having arrived there but spent more than an hour “mopping up,” he said.
Initial assessments made by fire officials suggest welding equipment may have caused the fire.
Fire officials at the scene notified the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, he said.
“Public Health staff instructed Walmart to dispose the contaminated food, as well as clean and sanitize all the prepackaged foods that may have also been contaminated by the fire extinguisher,” a county spokeswoman said Tuesday speaking on behalf of the public health department.
Walmart shoppers showing up at the store Tuesday morning found the produce section roped off and produce covered in plastic Tuesday morning.
At least one of three people working inside the roped off produce section at 11 a.m. was seen wearing a protective facial mask.
A man, who identified himself as the store manager for Walmart, referred all comment about the fire and the off-limits produce section to media representatives at Walmart corporate offices out of state.