Officials Check Chemicals Found in Storage Unit

A county bomb squad, a hazardous materials team, health officials and a robot designed to handle bombs converged on a Tustin public storage space Friday after learning it was jammed with potentially explosive chemicals.

Bottles filled with crystallizing liquid, some of it seeping out under the caps, were packed floor to ceiling in a 5-by-5-by-8-foot rental unit at Public Storage, 14861 Franklin Ave., said Orange County Fire Capt. Patrick McIntosh.

“They could be anything from bottles of clear liquid, water, to the most flammable, toxic or shock-sensitive product in the world, McIntosh said.

The space had been rented in 1985 by an unidentified engineer who died of cancer a year later, McIntosh said. Rather than disputing overdue rent with the man’s relatives, the managers decided Tuesday to open the unit. The chemicals were identified as dangerous by fire officials who happened by on a routine investigation Friday.

The storage facility is in an isolated industrial area with the nearest homes half a mile away. The managers, who live on site, were evacuated to a motel.

Shortly after 11 p.m., firefighters identified some of the chemicals as hydrozene, a toxic and potentially explosive chemcial used in rocket fuels. Additional hazardous materials crews were summoned at that point.