Massive Fire At Opa-locka Used Auto Parts Lot
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Flames shot high in the morning air at the AAAA car recycling plant in Opa-locka Friday morning.
The blaze erupted about 9:30 a.m. when workers using a welding torch and metal cutting saw somehow sparked it. The types of fires can be particularly dangerous because cars contain lots of stuff that burn and blow up.
"There's a lot of flammable equipment. There's always gas and oil left over in these vehicles. Tires can explode. There are contaminants, types of carcinogens that this kind of fire puts out," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Kristen Miller.
The owner of the junk lot said help was seriously delayed by the road leading to the business which is unpaved with lots of large, deep holes and mud.
"We worry about the street because the firefighters, they take too long getting here because of the condition of the street. We're not complaining about the firefighters, but they take too long getting here because of the street," said Jose Concepcion.
Chopper4 over the scene found a fully involved fire, not being fought at first because fire trucks had not yet been able to arrive.
"You can tell with your video that I'm sure you shot of the road conditions, that it is in pretty bad condition and our large pieces of fire equipment do have a difficult time accessing in the condition that this road is at," fire battalion chief Danny Cardeso told CBS4's Gary Nelson.
Concepcion hasn't begun to gauge his losses, but junk cars are worth the sum of their re-sellable parts and that can amount to a pretty penny.
Businesses along the eight-block stretch of Cairo Lane in the industrial area of Opa-locka can't expect to get their unpaved street repaired and surfaced any time soon. Opa-locka is essentially living from paycheck to paycheck with scarcely two nickels to rub together.
A storied history of corruption left the city millions of dollars in debt and two years ago Governor Rick Scott appointed a state emergency oversight board to take over operation of the city. Opa-locka remains under state control, largely dirt poor with no lack of dirt roads.
