The State - News from Nov. 26, 1985

About 150 people were evacuated from Palo Alto motels and restaurants when a flash fire at a microwave tube plant sent clouds of toxic chemicals into the air. Seven people, including four firefighters and a newspaper photographer, complained of effects of inhaling the hazardous vapor, but none was hospitalized, said Palo Alto Fire Chief Robert Wall. Wall said the fire at the Varian Associates’ building was extinguished rapidly by a sprinkler system, but the chemical cloud poured from rooftop vents for nearly three hours. He said the vapor consisted primarily of hydrochloric acid, though not in concentrations high enough to present a hazard to people outside the building.