Residents in South El Monte were ordered to shelter in place Wednesday afternoon as more than 100 firefighters worked to battle a massive blaze at a warehouse complex that sent a dark plume of smoke into the air and emitted an acrid chemical smell. Several explosions occurred inside the building while crews were on scene, the cause of which was not immediately clear, he said. Helicopter video from ABC7 captured sparks and smoke shooting into the air as the blasts rattled the buildings. By 6 p.m. the smoke had diminished, but orders remained in place “out of an abundance of caution,” Navarre said. The post South El Monte residents ordered to shelter in place as warehouse buildings burn appeared first on Los Angeles Times.