Smoke And Ash Lingers After Massive Fire In Ontario

ONTARIO (CBSLA.com)  —  It was a scary night for many in Ontario as they watched a large recycling center go up in flames. Some homeowners were just feet from the inferno.

Crews worked through the night and by morning, the flames barely flickered. Firefighters continued to saturate the yard throughout the day making sure nothing else ignited.

Authorities said the fire started at State Street and Bon View Avenue at around 5 p.m. Friday.

Bails of cardboard and water bottles stacked high covered the yard and were leveled by the fire. Bulldozers were brought in to begin the messy cleanup.

Heavy smoke shut down the railway and planes were forced to fly around the smoke, landing on different runways nearby. Two firefighters were injured.

"It was so hot and moving so fast so all we were trying to do was get in front of it and keep it inside this perimeter," Ontario Fire Battallion Chief Mike Mondino said.

Despite a few burned fences in the neighborhood nearby, firefighters succeeded at protecting homes, but now there is a new problem.

"It smells. It smells pretty bad out here," Barbara Mensen said.

All this smoke means a lot of ash in the air. The AQMD issued a smoke advisory for San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

"You can feel it. You can feel it in your throat," Martha Lopez said.

She says she plans to keep her windows shut but is happy to still have a home at all.

"I'm thankful they stopped the fire, this house could be gone by now if they didn't," Lopez said.