Fumes Cause Evacuation

Residents of a six-square-block area of Placentia were asked to leave their homes after noxious, ether-type fumes were discovered emanating from the neighborhood. Two Placentia police officers who discovered the fumes were taken to Placentia Linda Community Hospital, suffering from nausea, burning eyes and tremors. The officers, Joseph Little and John Armstrong, were treated with oxygen and released, according to Jackie Cram, a nursing supervisor. Police and fire officials in the area of Arrow Circle and Blue Ridge Avenue asked residents to go to a gymnasium in nearby Tuffree Park for medical treatment and shelter until the source and composition of the fumes could be determined. Three Hazardous Materials (HAZ-MAT) units, one from Huntington Beach and two from the Orange County Fire Department, were called to the scene, along with seven fire engines.