Tip Leads to Recovery of Cylinder of Deadly Gas
An anonymous tip led to the recovery of a cylinder of deadly industrial gas that disappeared from a Rancho Cucamonga loading dock about three weeks ago, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officers said Friday.
Spokesman Jim Bryant said the 53-inch aluminum container of hydrogen selenide was found at an Ontario area self-storage facility late Thursday night. Members of a state hazardous materials team determined that it had not leaked, Bryant said.
Hydrogen selenide, used in the preparation of semiconductor materials, can be fatal to anyone who inhales it or comes into direct contact with it. It is also highly flammable and explosive.
Bryant said the cylinder, which was reported stolen from A&R; Equipment Co. sometime between March 10 and March 14, probably was taken for its scrap value, estimated at about $50.
He said a caller told the Chino Hills Sheriff’s Station that the missing cylinder could be found in a storage yard at Mission Boulevard and Mountain Avenue in an industrial neighborhood just outside Ontario. It was subsequently found nearby at Anchor Storage in the 700 block of South Palmetto Avenue.
The firm had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to finding of the gas.
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