26 Hospitalized by Gas Leak at Refinery

A sulfur dioxide spill at a Wilmington refinery Monday night forced evacuation of more than 50 nearby homes and hospitalization of 26 people who were believed to have breathed the fumes.

None of the victims was believed to be in serious condition, hospital authorities said.

Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief William Burmaster said the spill was due to overpressurization of a tank at the Unocal refinery in the 1400 block of West Anaheim Street, near the Harbor Freeway.

He said the leak was reported at 6:15 p.m., at which time the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air stood at 32 parts per million. Five ppm is enough, he said, to cause headache, nausea and irritation of the eyes, ears and nose.

Eight engine companies responded, accompanied by five rescue ambulances that transported those believed to have inhaled concentrations of the gas to nearby hospitals. Fifteen civilians, and 11 firefighters were hospitalized for observation and treatment of gas inhalation. A dozen other people were treated by paramedics at the scene and released.

Meanwhile, longshoremen working at Berths 126 and 127 in Los Angeles Harbor complained of nausea and breathing problems evidently associated with the gas, which had been blown in their direction by the wind. They received oxygen treatment at the scene.

The leak was finally sealed off at 7 p.m., fire officials said, but none of the evacuees was permitted to return for another two hours, while firefighters moved through the area, seeking low-lying pockets of the heavy gas.