Firefighter Injured in Fire at Spring Valley Recycling Center

SPRING VALLEY, CA — A fire at a recycling business in Spring Valley Tuesday morning left a firefighter injured and two nearby homes damaged.

A plume of black smoke was seen billowing from the structure in an industrial area on Bancroft Drive near state Route 94 around 6:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Smoke was visible in nearby La Mesa.

One firefighter was injured when cardboard toppled onto him during the effort to suppress the blaze and was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, Cal Fire Capt. Isaac Sanchez said.

Two residences on the same property were damaged and the occupants of four homes on nearby Helix Street cleared out voluntarily as approximately a half-acre of cardboard at the facility burned, Sanchez said.

The fire prompted authorities to shut down Bancroft Drive from state Route 94 to Kenwood Drive, and Helix Street between Bancroft Street and Kenwood Drive, according to the county Department of Public Works.

— City News Service

(Photo/CAL Fire San Diego via Twitter)