San Diego
About 60 people were evacuated from four buildings and nine people were treated by paramedics Thursday after an acid cloud escaped from a soap manufacturing plant in downtown San Diego, drifting over a three-block area before dissipating.
Firefighters were dispatched to Pacific Soap Co. at Union Street and Martin Luther King Way at 3:35 p.m. after a pint of the chemical oleum leaked from a faulty, five-gallon steel container. Oleum is a concentrated form of sulfuric acid that is used to manufacture soap.
A San Diego Fire Department spokesman said the acid cloud was formed when the oleum came into contact with the atmosphere. Witnesses said the cloud rose 100 feet into the air before being blown east and dissipating, the spokesman said.
The nine people treated by paramedics complained of irritated eyes or breathing difficulties, and two were taken to UC San Diego Medical Center. No employees of the soap plant were treated.
Fire Department Capt. Craig Black said oleum is not classified as a toxic chemical. He described the chemical as “very, very irritating,” and said prolonged exposure to it could be dangerous.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
