Air monitoring is underway as the Sandy fire nears ex-nuclear test site

The Sandy fire is burning near a toxic waste area in the Simi Valley where a partial nuclear meltdown once took place, sparking concerns about the potential for contaminants to be released should the area catch fire.

- CIARA HARTER

TRIBUTE TO SERVICE MEMBERS Dennis Brown and her children visit Newport Beach's Castaways Park, which features 1,776 U.S. flags.

(ALLEN J. SCHABEN Los Angeles Times)

The Ventura County Fire Department announced Wednesday evening that air quality monitoring is being conducted around the fire’s perimeter due to the blaze’s proximity to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The 2,850-acre laboratory complex was formerly used for rocket engine testing and nuclear research and is currently undergoing a state-led environmental cleanup.

Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd said monitoring had been “deployed to establish a background air quality, so that if the fire advances further into that sensitive area we would have a baseline to compare against.” He noted that the fire had not yet reached the field laboratory area and that crews were making strong progress containing the blaze.

The fire had burned 2,141 acres and was 30% contained at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, at which time several evacuation orders and warnings were downgraded. Containment was at 40% on Friday morning.