Crews battled a blaze that broke out Wednesday afternoon at a water treatment plant being built in Santee, fire officials said.
The fire sparked at 12001 Fanita Py at around 3 p.m. due to a heating process used to merge plastic pipes, according to the Santee Fire Department.
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SkyRanger 7 was over the flames, which appeared to be affecting two separate areas of the construction site.
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That pipeline where the fire started was recently installed as part of the East County Advanced Water Purification Program, a spokesperson with the Padre Dam Municipal Water District said.
The pipe's material and size — 42 inches wide and 4 inches thick — made it challenging for crews to extinguish the flames coming out of both sides of the pipe, Santee Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Hernandez said.
Firefighters first shot water into both ends in an attempt to reach the empty pipe's center. Hernandez said they then used a tractor to suffocate the south side with dirt while continuing to push water through the north side.
A concrete box on the north end connected the pipe to the tank. The box was destroyed in the fire and would have to be rebuilt, according to Hernandez.
No injuries were reported, fire officials said.
The facility has been under construction for about two years and is set to be completed in 2026. It's a massive billion-dollar project that is expected to service some customers in Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Helix, Lakeside and Otay water districts.
