A dark plume of smoke rises above Tijuana on Friday, June 25, 2021.
Firefighters in Tijuana responded to a fire in the Los Alamos community after a fuel pipe overturned on Insurgentes Boulevard.
Witnesses said a gasoline pipe had overturned in front of the Los Alamos Shopping Center. Authorities added they received a report of the fiery incident just before 12:30 p.m.
Francisco Cota told NBC 7’s sister station, Telemundo 20, that he was at his son’s stationery store when he saw the incident.
“I was the first to run out,” Cota said of his reaction when he saw the pipe “overturned, coming down hard.”
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“When it came around, it came down slipping as sparks flew out along with gasoline, which ignited the fire,” he said before adding that several nearby businesses were burned in the incident.
“Once firefighters arrived, we were all already here,” Cota said. “They thought it was going to explode but it didn’t explode, or it would have reached us all the way here.”
Firefighters from Tijuana and the Civil Protection responded to the incident. Authorities said a total of six fire stations helped in the response.
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At about 1:30 p.m., authorities said they had already gained control of the blaze. They said their priority was to prevent the spread of gasoline and the fire.
No injuries were reported in the incident and the identity of the driver involved is not known at this time.
Images from the Telemundo 20 team showed several businesses and cars damaged in the area. However, officials have not commented on the extent of any damage.
“The first five, six businesses are burned,” Cota said. He hasn’t been able to return to the area to see if his son’s business was among those damaged.
Due to the blaze, the Tijuana General Hospital issued warnings about the air quality and how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
Rosario Camacho Garcia from the Tijuana General Hospital recommends seeking medical help if any dangerous symptoms are experiences by locals. Such experiences can be caused by direct or prolonged exposure to smoke and symptoms include dizziness, nausea, headache, weakness and vomiting.
The public is urged to avoid the area.
This article was originally reported by Telemundo 20. To read the original story, click here.
