Emergency crews responded to a reported chemical leak in a La Habra neighborhood on Tuesday, where nearby residents were temporarily asked to shelter in place.
The incident was reported shortly before 12 p.m. in the 500 block of South Cypress Street. Responding firefighters saw a plume of orange smoke rising from the roof of a one-story commercial building, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Citizen App video from the scene shows an orange plume of smoke coming from the site. Authorities said the building is a factory that manufactures industrial chemicals.
L.A. County Fire Capt. Eddie Diaz said three employees were checked out by paramedics at the scene, but did not show signs of any injuries and did not complain of any discomfort.
Responding crews were able to mitigate the leak, and the plume dissipated, according to the L.A. County Fire Department. Hazmat teams went inside and verified control of the leak.
Active air monitoring is in place, and officials say there is no risk to residents. An all-clear was given by the fire department.
Initially, an evacuation order was briefly issued for residents within about a mile of the facility. Then, the order was downgraded to an advisory, and authorities decreased the radius of the area impacted by the advisory. Washington Middle School, which is about half a mile away, was evacuated.
“With hazardous materials releases, it’s one of those things that, as a common citizen, I would be scared by it too. What I’m here to tell you is, there is no danger posed. Everyone is safe. We, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, along with our partners at the La Habra Police Department, took an abundance of caution, shut down about a one-mile radius surrounding this area,” a representative with the fire department said. “The La Habra Police Department, again, out of an abundance of caution, evacuated a middle school. It wasn’t because we suspected that everyone was at risk, it was because we wanted to make sure that no one was, just in case.”
A shelter-in-place issued for residents living near the factory was lifted by 2:30 p.m.
Cypress Street was temporarily closed between Lambert Rd. and La Habra Boulevard, but has since reopened.
The commercial building involved houses Shepard Bros., a manufacturing company that makes industrial cleaners. Workers were reportedly trying to clean out their system when some of the chemicals they were using came into contact with residual chemicals still in the line, causing a reaction.
