By Khalida Sarwari
While firefighters continue battling a four-alarm blaze that has gutted a Watsonville warehouse, one of the warehouse’s clients, Martinelli’s, is trying to salvage some of its merchandise, worth anywhere from $4 million to $5 million, a fire spokeswoman said.
The fire at Apple Growers Ice and Cold Storage Company, built in 1928 and located at 850 West Beach St., started around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, said Rosa Meyer, a spokeswoman for the Watsonville Fire Department.
About 50 firefighters have used nearly 3 million gallons of water to extinguish the fire, which as of 4 p.m. today had not yet been controlled.
Crews were working to confine the blaze to one building and to salvage property inside the facility, Meyer said.
S. Martinelli & Company, the maker of Martinelli’s apple juices and ciders and one of many companies that used the warehouse, was using a forklift this afternoon to remove some of their apple cider and raw apples from pallets, Meyer said.
Crews have also brought in a tanker to offload ammonia that was kept outside the warehouse, she said.
Meyer said it might be three or four days before the fire is completely extinguished, due to the nature of items inside the facility and because firefighters have to battle the blaze from outside.
“Firefighters can’t go inside … it’s too dangerous,” Meyer said. “There’s stuff all over the place and falling down.”
No injuries have been reported.
The warehouse is located in an industrial area, but there are some homes nearby that might be affected by the smoke, Meyer said.
“We want to make sure people with respiratory problems stay inside,” she said.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Agencies from throughout the county and beyond are assisting with the fire, including the Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz fire departments.