Fire razes plastics storage warehouse in San Joaquín

SANTIAGO.– A powerful blaze took hold of a warehouse used for the storage of plastics in the municipality of San Joaquín. All of the firefighting units of the southern sector of the city were deployed, as well as units from Ñuñoa, La Granja and San Bernardo.

Volunteers fought the flames for more than two hours while a black cloud became increasingly visible from various parts of the metropolitan area, as was reported by Radio Cooperativa.

According to Commander Víctor Concha, the warehouse served as a storage space for more than 20 tons of plastic products including bottles and boxes. "This is what creates the large black cloud of smoke. The head of the Department of Health was here and he indicated that the PVC does not contain bleach, so there is no significant health risk", stated Concha.

After arriving at the scene, volunteers faced the additional challenge of insufficient water pressure as well as the absence of the emergency leaflet that is obligatory for these types of businesses, which should be on the access door and which specifies the quantities and types of materials stored in the interior.

As a result, the company may face a fine of between 1 and 2 UTM per month.