Cars and Residents Return to Spill Area : Seacliff: Health officials test 49 evacuated homes and declare them free of chemical contamination.

Health officials moved through the evacuated beachfront community of Seacliff Friday, testing houses for possible contamination from last week’s toxic train spill before declaring the homes safe to re-enter.

With the reopening of the Ventura Freeway, some campers returned to their favorite spots on the Old Rincon Highway.

But the ongoing cleanup of spilled liquid hydrazine prevented residents and renters of the 49 evacuated homes in Seacliff from returning for more than a few minutes at a time until late Friday. They were told they could return at about 10 p.m.

“God, I hate missing out on this,” said John Huie of Claremont, whose family had rented a $1-million cottage with an expansive ocean view for the week, only to be ushered out of the area with other residents six days ago.

Although the Huies’ week was up Friday, Huie said he hoped to persuade the real estate agent he dealt with to give him a break and let him stay over the weekend. The Huies had returned to Claremont after being hastily evacuated, but came back Friday to get their personal belongings.

“For 16 years, since my son was a baby, we’ve been going out to stand under that overpass and watch the trains go by,” said Huie, referring to the section of the freeway that was the site of last Sunday’s train derailment. “We didn’t go out Sunday. So somebody was looking out for us.”

Hazardous materials specialists from the Ventura County Environmental Health Department accompanied the Huies and area residents into their homes briefly Friday to inspect them for any residues of hydrazine that might have remained.

Health specialists Reem Dajani and John McLaughlin used a Draeger tube to make the determination that the homes were safe and free of toxic residues. The hand-held instrument sucks a sample of air from the home into a glass tube, where it reacts with another agent and changes color if it detects hydrazine residue.

“We’re clear,” declared Dajani after testing the home where the Huies were staying. “There is nothing here.”

Dajani said hydrazine breaks down quickly and can cause severe short-term health effects. But it does not accumulate in the body over time and cause long-term health problems, she said.

Officials said Friday that they intended to test all of the 49 homes in the area, some of which were within 100 yards of the site of the derailment and spilled chemical. The tests, which officials felt certain would reveal no residues, were scheduled as a means of easing many fears about the safety of homes.

“We’re all concerned that the people here have a good sense of well-being,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Arv Wells said.

Wells’ wife, Sandi, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department, posted a welcome-home banner for residents and adorned it with bows made of the same yellow sheriff’s tape that cordoned off their homes.

“That’s what that’s all about,” said Wells, pointing to the banner that had been signed by firefighters and deputies.

Louisa Kinnebrew, a Seacliff resident since 1955 and an area real estate broker and property manager, said she had no concerns about the safety of her home or the rental homes she manages. Nevertheless, hazardous materials specialists accompanied her to many of the houses to test for hydrazine.

“I want to be able to tell everyone that the homes have been tested,” she said.

Tests at the home of Mary Engle and her husband, Wayne, who have lived in the area for more than three years, also showed no hydrazine was present.

“Hydrazine is not like radiation that has a long-term half-life,” McLaughlin said. “So long-term effects are not a concern.”

But Mary Engle was unconvinced.

“I hear everything you’re saying and I’m digesting it, but I still don’t feel good about it,” she said.