Chatsworth Plant Burns : Fire Contained Before Reaching Chemicals

Fire swept a Chatsworth computer parts factory Monday night, destroying about one third of a building, but firefighters prevented the flames from reaching dangerous chemicals. There were no injuries.

Firefighters fought the blaze at Diceon Electronics, 9261 Independence Ave., for 90 minutes. The cause was not immediately known.

Flames roared 40 feet high and smoke billowed 100 feet into the air. Damage was estimated by plant manager Jim Stewart at $2 million to $3 million.

Reports of Chemicals

Reports that the building contained dangerous chemicals prompted the city Fire Department to respond with 25 companies--about 125 firefighters, including the strategic chemical attack team. Deputy Fire Chief Donald Anthony took command of the effort, and Fire Chief Donald O. Manning also showed up.

The fire burned through the roof and destroyed 12,000 to 15,000 square feet of the interior of a 35,000-square-foot building, one of three used by Diceon on the site, Stewart said.

The burned area contained tanks of three compressed gases--Freon, nitrogen and oxygen--”which was a matter of some concern to us” because of the danger of explosion, said Fire Department spokesman Pat Patterson.

Firefighters rained water on the compressed gas tanks, and there were no explosions. Aided by a fire wall, firefighters “surrounded the chemical storage area” and prevented flames from reaching another part of the building where more dangerous chemicals--including hydrogen chloride, sulfuric acid and copper sulfide--were stored, Patterson said.

No Nearby Homes

The building is in an industrial area and there are no residences nearby.

Reports that the building contained deadly cyanide, which concerned the first firefighters on the scene, were false, Stewart said. “We don’t use cyanide for anything.”

Three workers who were in the building when the fire broke out about 6:20 p.m. escaped unharmed, Stewart said.

Diceon, which is based in Irvine, is a fast-growing manufacturer of multilayered circuit boards for large computers.