Mission Viejo : Smell of Gas Prompts Evacuation of Store

A suspicious gas smell forced the evacuation of hundreds of Christmas shoppers and employees from a Gemco department store and market in Mission Viejo on Wednesday in an incident that an official said appears to be strike-related.

The Alicia Parkway store was crowded, and 80 to 90 employees were on duty when the smell of gas began to permeate the store, according to Gemco workers. The store manager, after first calling the Fire Department, ordered the store evacuated over the loudspeaker, according to Gemco employee Scott Ashbach.

“The store was loaded,” Ashbach said. “We had two lines of cars in the entrance--we had to stop traffic on Alicia and back them out. It took 20 minutes to clear the store. People still wanted their prescriptions, or whatever they were buying.” The Orange County Fire Department, sheriff’s deputies and Health Care Agency personnel arrived at the scene around noon, and hazardous materials teams searched the store and found the fumes emanating from a two-ounce bottle hidden on a soft-drink shelf, Battalion Chief Steve Whitaker said.

Analysis of the liquid revealed it to be mercaptan, a relatively harmless substance that gives gas its distinctive odor. Mercaptan is noticeable in amounts as small as .01 parts per billion, but it is safe up to 10 parts per million, Fire Department spokesman Lou Furst said.

The store was cleared of the fumes with the help of smoke ejectors, and was reopened to shoppers about 4 p.m.

Whitaker, when asked if he thinks the incident was related to the 6-week-old Southern California supermarket strike and lockout, said:

“I’m not going to make that statement, but it’s a reasonable assumption. It’s similar to other incidents that we’ve been seeing. I suppose we’ll see it again soon.”