Cleanup Begun at Abandoned Plating Shop : Hazardous chemicals: The EPA says the former owners of the Burbank firm can be fined up to three times the $1.3-million cost to rid the waste.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday began cleaning up thousands of gallons of hazardous chemicals at a former Burbank metal plating shop that was abandoned by its owners.

Officials expect the removal of about 36,000 gallons of industrial solvents and other chemicals at Dynamic Plating to take about five weeks. The action is designed to prevent reactive chemicals from mixing. Although the chemicals used in various plating processes do not pose a significant health risk by themselves, they are potentially very dangerous when mixed, said Dan Shane, who is coordinating the cleanup.

An emergency work order issued by the EPA said the combination of acids with cyanide solutions stored nearby could cause the release of hydrogen cyanide, which “would be a major disaster.” EPA spokesman Terry Wilson declined to elaborate or speculate on the effects of such a gas release.

Tests also will be conducted to determine if seepage from the shop has contributed to ground water contamination in the southeast San Fernando Valley. Soil samples already taken at the site indicate a “significant amount” of solvents have seeped into the ground over the years. High levels of solvents were detected at depths of up to 55 feet and officials suspect that other chemicals also might have found their way into the soil.

The building was built as Army barracks during World War II and had been used as a plating shop since at least 1959. Because of the wood-framed building’s age and dilapidated condition, officials feared there was a significant risk of chemicals spilling or mixing.

The shop, which is in a light-industrial area near Burbank and Victory boulevards, has been closed since January, according to city records. At that time, city officials cited shop owners Frank Guerrero and Chuck Ceballos for exceeding their permitted limits on the amount of waste they were flushing into the sewer system.

An assessment of the shop by the EPA in August revealed several open vats and sumps containing 36,000 gallons of chemicals and various industrial wastes.

On Monday, about a dozen workers prepared the site for cleanup by removing empty containers and evaluating the potential risks. A portable meteorological station was erected to forecast the spread of a toxic cloud in the event any of the chemicals combine during the cleanup.

Wilson said the cleanup will cost about $1.3 million. The EPA can fine Guerrero and Ceballos up to three times that amount.

But Guerrero and Ceballos have indicated to city and federal officials that they are unable to pay for the cleanup. Sidney Troxell, an attorney for the two men, declined to discuss how they plan to settle the bill. He said Guerrero and Ceballos were considering declaring bankruptcy, but had not made a final decision.

Shane said the first priority at the site will be to pump reactive chemicals into storage tanks and remove them, thus eliminating the immediate risk of toxic mixture.

Work then will concentrate on removing chemical containers and disposing of them in an approved facility. Tests also will be conducted to determine the amount of contamination caused by chemicals seeping into the soil.