Massive Fire Shuts Down City Hours After Recycling Plant Fire
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A massive six-alarm fire at a lumberyard shut down the city of Stockton Friday. Hours before the fire started, these same firefighters were battling a three-alarm fire at a recycling plant at the Port of Stockton.
"You try to rotate the guy. Try and get them some time to relax and get some food and water in them but sometimes when it's all hands that might be a while. Everybody here is pretty tired," Stockton Fire Deputy Chief Brad Palmer said.
This latest fire was burning so hot, crews say it melted a transmission tower, knocking out power to around 18,000 customers. This was more than just a few dark rooms and flickering lights. The outage forces city and county offices to shut down.
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"We've had a power outage for several hours at a time, but not to where we actually had to close city hall. Not in my background of 15 years," Connie Cochran with the City of Stockton, said.
For some, the outage meant a day off of work, but for others, it meant no air conditioning, no elevators, and no relief, for hours.
"What about the people who can't walk down stairs that are in wheelchairs, etc," one resident said.
According to PG&E, all customers should expect to have power fully restored by Tuesday night.