Chino, Calif.-Red Star Fertilizer Co. is facing a fine and may have to pay the costs of fighting a 200-acre fire a week ago that started from spontaneous combustion in a manure pile and caused the evacuation of campers in two nearby parks, according fire authorities. “We’ve had a lot of problems with Red Star before,” Reuben Guerrero, battalion chief with the Chino Valley Independent Fire District, told Green Markets. Guerrero said the fire initially spread to the adjacent Miramontese manure fertilizer facility and then was spread by in the dry grassy area by high winds gusting up to 70 mph and blowing consistently at 20 to 30 mph. He said the fire began Sunday morning Jan. 7, and was brought under control the following day by a total of 400 firefighters, backed by four air tankers and several helicopters. Red flags stayed up until that evening. Guerrero wouldn’t estimate how much the fine would be, but said he believes the state division of forestry may be going after reimbursement. He said both Red Star and Miramontese are in the same business, in an area covered by willow trees and mixed brush. They provide bagged manure for fertilizer and wood chips for compost. No one at Red Star could be reached for comment, according to an unidentified employee who said the company was closed.
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