A commercial building fire that erupted in Monrovia sent a dark plume of smoke hundreds of feet in the early evening sky Wednesday.
Thousands of people leaving work around 6:00 p.m. saw the dense smoke and heavy flames pouring out of the building near the 210 freeway.
Firefighters took what they call a "defensive" stance, pumping water from outside, when flames erupted at Southwest Grinding, a supplier of machine parts, and an adjacent business called Jan-Ken.
"We pulled everybody out of the building," said Monrovia Fire Chief Chris Donovan. "We pulled firefighters off the roof. 'Defensive' means we set up on the perimeter, protected the buildings in the area."
No one was injured and neighboring buildings were not damaged. But a Shell Service Station next door was a real source of concern.
"There were flames coming out of the building and people were still coming into the gas station," said witness Ilse Alvarez. "That makes no sense."
At one point firefighters entered the structure but were force to retreat in the face of intense heat and flames.
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Despite the intense flames and widespread attention, there were no reports of injury.
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