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Port of Los Angeles fire extinguished, operations return to almost-normal
In this photo from Tuesday, Sept. 23, firefighters battled a fire that broke out at the Port of Los Angeles. The fire was all but extinguished Wednesday morning.
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Maya Sugarman
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A fire that burned for more than a day at the Port of Los Angeles was extinguished early Wednesday and operations were expected to proceed mostly as normal.
The fire was officially extinguished at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to a statement sent via Twitter by the Port of L.A.
Most terminals were running normally as of Tuesday night, with only slight interruptions to protect workers from smoke when the winds shifted, port spokesman Phillip Sanfield told KPCC.
A wharf as long as three football fields completely burned in the fire. Sanfield said it would likely need to be replaced, and the warehouse behind it would need to be assessed in the coming weeks.
About three-quarters of the port's wharves are concrete, but wooden wharves remain as the port continues to modernize its infrastructure. About $1 million a day is invested into the port complex, Sanfield said.
"The port's more than 100 years old and we've mostly modernized it. There are a few remaining wooden wharves, and this one will obviously need to be replaced," he said.
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The next shift of workers was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.
The fire on Tuesday prompted school closures in the area as air quality officials warned local residents to take precautions against smoke inhalation. But all schools were open and classes were resuming Wednesday, according to Monica Carazo of the L.A. Unified School District.
This story has been updated.
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