Termite Killer Leaks From Container; 25 Are Evacuated
More than two dozen Sepulveda residents were evacuated Wednesday because a solution used to kill termites began leaking from a 50-gallon drum stored on the back of a parked pickup truck, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said.
The pesticide, identified as lindane, was reported leaking from a container about 5:30 p.m. in the 8400 block of Minuet Place, said Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells.
The insecticide was stored in a drum on the back of an exterminator’s pickup truck, he said.
There were no injuries.
About 25 people in 10 houses surrounding the scene were ordered out of the area as a safety precaution, Wells said.
They were allowed to return to their homes about 8:30 p.m., he said.
The Fire Department’s hazardous materials team and Los Angeles County health officials were called in to clean up about 30 gallons of the insecticide, which had seeped out of the drum, Wells said.
It was not known what caused the leak.
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