Emergency crews responded to a hazardous materials incident in Orange County on Wednesday morning.
The Huntington Beach Fire Department confirmed the incident in the 15200 block of News Boy Circle in a Facebook post shortly after 10:15 a.m.
Officials initially could not provide details about the cause of the incident but said firefighters and hazardous materials specialists were actively assessing the situation, identifying the hazard and developing a mitigation plan to safely resolve it.
Sky5 was over the scene at about 11:30 a.m. as crews were gathered outside TS Conductor on News Boy Circle.
KTLA’s Chip Yost learned at the scene that the incident centered on a 55-gallon drum containing an unknown chemical. At some point, an employee accidentally added another chemical to the drum, causing it to heat up.
The chemicals mixed in an exothermic reaction.
The Fire Department was called to evaluate the drum.
A department spokesperson told Yost that its temperature had been decreasing, but crews continued to monitor the situation.
The immediate area near the business was evacuated as crews worked to determine what chemicals were inside.
The immediate area was evacuated. It’s unclear how many businesses were evacuated.
News Boy Circle was closed at Argosy Avenue while crews worked the incident.
The situation was contained without harm to people nearby.
No injuries were reported.
An exothermic reaction occurs when two chemicals combine and release heat energy as the reaction proceeds. In this case, the unknown chemicals began heating up the 55-gallon drum rapidly, triggering the emergency response. Fire Department crews arrived to evaluate the drums and monitor the temperature decline.
The exothermic reaction caused by the accidental chemical mixture was brought under control as crews continued monitoring and the drum’s temperature gradually decreased. The quick response from Huntington Beach hazmat crews prevented any escalation of the dangerous situation.