Hospital Alarm Sounds Again; No Spill Found

For the second consecutive day, firefighters Thursday were summoned to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia to investigate a chemical spill, but failed to find any contamination, officials said. Los Angeles County firefighters responded to the hospital at 23845 W. McBean Parkway at 8:50 a.m. after a sensor that detects hazardous chemicals set off an alarm in a basement storage area. Initial reports indicated that ethylene oxide, a highly flammable and poisonous chemical used to sterilize surgical equipment, had leaked into the basement storage area, said Capt. Bob Grafton, a Fire Department spokesman.

“They went in there, checked it out with various meters they have and found no presence of the gas,” said Capt. Jim Jordan of the Santa Clarita station. He said a chemical could have leaked, then dissipated while firefighters were waiting for the hazardous materials squad.

No one was evacuated from the building, Jordan said. Officials could not say what set off the alarm.

On Wednesday, 50 employees were evacuated when the sensor touched off the alarm. Hazardous materials crews were unable to find any evidence of the chemical. Alcohol or another chemical that does not pose a danger could have spilled, causing the alarm to sound Wednesday, hospital spokeswoman Cathleen Lee said.