National City Warehouse Fire Causes $6 Million Worth of Damage

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August 18th, 2022

NATIONAL CITY, CA. – A large fire broke out on the evening of August 1st at a National City warehouse, completely destroying the building and causing at least $6M in damages. Civilians passing the warehouse on the corner of West 30th Street and Harding Avenue called the fire department upon noticing smoke. By the time the firefighters arrived on scene, flames engulfed the building. Firefighters worked through the night and were able to contain the fire by 4:00 a.m. Crews remained on the scene and treated hotspots until 9:00 a.m.

An image of the exterior of Western Hose & Gasket prior to the fire.

The 36,000 ft2 warehouse owned by Western Hose and Gasket stored rubber, plastics, paper, and propane. The nature of these materials made the fire difficult to combat. Fire investigator and National City Fire Battalion Chief Robert Hernandez said, “The fire became a defensive fire with quite a bit of fire extending through the roof and exposing a large commercial building just to its east…fire crews were able to put a line in between the fire that was actively consuming the commercial warehouse to protect the commercial warehouse immediately to its east.” 

Fortunately, firefighters were able to contain the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings, and no injuries occurred. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Western Hose and Gasket building is shown with fire billowing from the inside out, with their company sign dramatically engulfed.

Routine inspections of fire hazards and fire prevention systems can minimize threats to businesses. Risk Logic engineers are equipped to perform inspections and provide standardized recommendations to keep your business and building safe. Notable updates from the National Fire Protection Association regarding sprinkler and storage standards can be found here. Risk Logic can inspect your facility, and provide an assessment to prevent losses like this from occurring. Contact Risk Logic for a full inspection.