Chemical Spills Orange County

The noxious black smoke was still climbing into the overcast sky when the men in moon suits told Steve Van Horn to strip off his police uniform. Standing in a child's wading pool, the shivering cop watched as they stuffed his blue pants and his shoes into a plastic bag bound for a toxic dump. They told him it was all just a precaution. That morning, firefighters had drenched the Hixson Metal plating plant with 65,000 gallons of water, but still the fires and fumes raged.

Eleven employees from two Orange businesses sought medical treatment after they inhaled noxious fumes from chemicals that had been dumped in the sewer, fire officials said. Many more people complained of dizziness, headaches and nausea, apparently caused by a "sweet, acetony, solventy" smell that wafted into the buildings near Lewis and Metropolitan avenues, across the street from each other, said Orange Fire Department battalion chief Rey Montoya.

About 200 people in a city block between Harbor and Newport boulevards were evacuated for more than two hours Saturday morning after fire officials feared that smoke escaping from an apartment building being fumigated might be toxic. After an investigation by hazardous-material response teams from Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana and the county, however, officials determined that no toxics were involved and residents were allowed to return home.

A minor acid spill at Anaheim Memorial Medical Center forced the evacuation of 27 employees Monday, officials said. Employees were told to leave the basement area of the building about 8:30 a.m. after a worker noticed that a 55-gallon drum of hydrochloric acid was leaking and giving off a vapor cloud, Anaheim Fire Division Chief Jerry Austin said. The hospital notified fire and hazardous-materials experts, who evacuated the area, which includes a loading dock and cafeteria.

A chlorine leak Friday at a Santa Ana water treatment plant forced the temporary evacuation of 20 people from nearby homes, a Fire Department official said. Santa Ana fire officials were alerted to the leak about 2 p.m. at the plant in the 900 block of West Walnut Street, battalion chief aide Steve Snyder said. As a precaution, residents from five homes east of the facility were evacuated. The leak, which came from a partially full 150-pound container, was repaired two hours later.

An ammonia cloud loomed over a wide stretch of this city Monday night, forcing more than 1,000 residents to evacuate their homes. The leak from Christian Salvesen, a cold-food storage facility in the 300 block of Cypress Street, sent teams of Orange County sheriff's deputies, hazardous-materials units and Fullerton and Brea police to the scene, said La Habra Police Sgt. Ray Breur. "It's still expanding," Breur said late Monday night. "The situation is still ongoing."

A pool service truck involved in a three-vehicle collision spilled 15 gallons of potentially toxic chemicals onto a busy intersection Saturday, causing police to cordon off the area for two hours. Three people were hurt in the collision, but no one was injured by the chemicals and authorities did not evacuate the area, police said. The accident occurred at 7:30 a.m.

One block of a commercial strip mall was cordoned off and about 20 people were evacuated Sunday after reports of a chemical leak in a graphics store brought firefighters and a hazardous materials unit to the scene, police said. The spill, which occurred at 1202 W. Collins Ave. at 10 a.m., apparently resulted from a leak in a tank containing ammonia in the A & E Repro Graphics building, according to police.

A railroad tank car carrying more than 20,000 gallons of a toxic chemical derailed Friday night, but the tank did not rupture and no injuries were reported, fire officials said. The derailment occurred at 8:20 p.m. Friday near a city power station at Lewis Street and Cerritos Avenue, a Fire Department spokesman said, adding that the cause is under investigation.

The Orange County Hazardous Materials Team, administered by the County Health Care Agency division of environmental health, responds to calls on chemical spills and other incidents involving hazardous materials. Sometimes the team will go to the site; other times it will advise residents or local fire departments over the phone. There were 20 spills recorded in HAZMAT's response logs in September. Here are the details: Date: Sept. 2 Location of Incident: 1934 S. Anaheim Blvd.

An Irvine Co. contractor violated a state permit when it discharged 3,500 gallons of chlorinated water earlier this week into a creek that empties onto pristine Crystal Cove State Park, a state official said Friday. "For a violation of this type, a monetary assessment is probably the type of remedy we would use," said Kurt Berchtold, an assistant executive officer with the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board. Berchtold said the Irvine Co. probably will face a fine of up to $10,000.

Environmental officials were investigating Tuesday whether an Irvine Co. contractor poured more chlorine than is allowed into a creek that flows through Crystal Cove State Park, causing no environmental damage but possibly violating a state permit. Reports from environmental activists of a chlorine smell near Los Trancos Creek led to an investigation by wildlife and water officials.

About 375 workers were evacuated from a Los Alamitos aerospace plant Tuesday after an acid spill sent an orange cloud billowing into the sky. Fifteen workers were taken to Los Alamitos Medical Center after complaints of skin irritation, throat tightness and headaches, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Scott Brown, but none of the injuries was serious and "many of those were reluctant to receive any type of treatment." The spill occurred about 8:45 a.m.

A pipe that leaked about 1,500 gallons of heavily chlorinated water Friday forced the evacuation of about 100 people from nearby businesses, but there were no injuries, authorities said. The spill occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at the Irvine Ranch Water District plant at Warner Avenue and Fairview Street, said Marilyn Smith, a spokeswoman for the district. Santa Ana firefighters evacuated three businesses for about two hours. The businesses share the office park with the district.

A chlorine leak Friday at a Santa Ana water treatment plant forced the temporary evacuation of 20 people from nearby homes, a Fire Department official said. Santa Ana fire officials were alerted to the leak about 2 p.m. at the plant in the 900 block of West Walnut Street, battalion chief aide Steve Snyder said. As a precaution, residents from five homes east of the facility were evacuated. The leak, which came from a partially full 150-pound container, was repaired two hours later.

Two Tustin High School seniors and a science teacher were hospitalized Friday for respiratory problems after a bottle of hydrochloric acid toppled over during a chemistry class, officials said. One of the students, who was a teacher's aide, was removing chemicals from the shelves in the science lab to clean some cabinets about 12:10 p.m., said Tustin Unified School District spokesman Mark Eliot.

Eleven employees from two Orange businesses sought medical treatment after they inhaled noxious fumes from chemicals that had been dumped in the sewer, fire officials said. Many more people complained of dizziness, headaches and nausea, apparently caused by a "sweet, acetony, solventy" smell that wafted into the buildings near Lewis and Metropolitan avenues, across the street from each other, said Orange Fire Department battalion chief Rey Montoya.

A hazardous chemical spill at a company that refurbishes auto parts prompted authorities to evacuate about 220 people Thursday, but caused no injuries. About 10:45 a.m., employees at M.S.P. Inc. noticed a pin-hole leak in a 350-gallon tank filled with sulfuric acid, which is used to dissolve substances such as paint and rust from metal, said Tabby Cato, spokeswoman for the city's Fire Department.

The noxious black smoke was still climbing into the overcast sky when the men in moon suits told Steve Van Horn to strip off his police uniform. Standing in a child's wading pool, the shivering cop watched as they stuffed his blue pants and his shoes into a plastic bag bound for a toxic dump. They told him it was all just a precaution. That morning, firefighters had drenched the Hixson Metal plating plant with 65,000 gallons of water, but still the fires and fumes raged.