Chemical leak triggers evacuations and orange cloud over La Habra
A slow leak from a chemical tank spread an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly brought it under control.
Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon stated that authorities responded to a cleaning products business after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon added.
The chemical has not yet been identified, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he mentioned. The regional air quality management district has sent staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The company, Shepard Bros., could not be reached immediately for comment.
Three company employees experienced minor respiratory irritation and refused further treatment, according to Katon.
The leak happened in the city of La Habra, near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.
Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what seemed to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old noted she watched students board buses to evacuate across the street, but police informed her that the eatery could remain open.
“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t notice any smell from the cloud. “It just kind of spread in the sky and started going away.”
La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.
Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, mentioned that earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, contacted police, and was informed that anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.
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