Local News in Brief : Gas Forces Evacuation
A smoldering 55-gallon drum of epoxy resin at a chemical company in Azusa sent up a noxious cloud Wednesday, forcing the temporary evacuation of an estimated 1,000 people from businesses and residences.
The incident occurred when workers at Jay Chemical Co., 780 N. Todd Ave., were heating the resin, which is solid at room temperature, for transfer to a smaller container. The material overheated and sent a yellow, foul-smelling cloud wafting through the neighborhood shortly before 10 a.m., said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Chuck Gutierrez.
Fire officials cordoned off a five-block area and put more than 800 pounds of ice on the melted resin drum and two other containers to cool the substance and halt the chemical reaction.
County Health Department officials said the resin fumes can cause breathing difficulties and skin irritation. A spokeswoman for Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora said six people were treated and released after inhaling the fumes.
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