Chemical Hot Spots to Be Fenced In by Railroad : Derailment: Officials of the new state environmental agency now control the cleanup. They order enclosure of two sites.

Southern Pacific says it will build a permanent fence today around chemical hot spots from the train wreck in Seacliff, and also will unveil its plan to determine the extent of soil contamination and how best to remove it.

Monday evening, eight days after a broken axle derailed 12 freight cars, railroad workers finished plucking small pieces of debris from the crash site and opened the final stretch of the coastal access road known as old Pacific Coast Highway.

Most recent air samples showed no traces of toxic vapors in the area. But under orders from the California Environmental Protection Agency, Southern Pacific prepared to build a chain-link fence around two spill sites. With local law enforcement gone, the railroad has also posted its own police officers around the clock to shoo away anyone who ventures too close.

Southern Pacific’s representatives are scheduled to discuss their toxic waste cleanup strategy this morning in Ventura with officials from Cal-EPA and the Ventura County Resource Management Agency’s division of environmental health.

Cal-EPA officials, who assumed control of the cleanup on Saturday, said it is too soon to tell how quickly Southern Pacific will be able to remove all traces of the chemical hydrazine spilled during the train wreck.

Eight 55-gallon drums of hydrazine, a suspected carcinogen, were spilled and another 15 drums were ruptured when an axle snapped July 28, pushing a dozen freight cars off the track about eight miles north of Ventura. Hydrazine fumes forced the evacuation of about 300 people and shut down a 10-mile section of the Ventura Freeway for five days.

“First they will come up with a plan to determine exactly how much contamination there is,” said Richard Varenchik, a spokesman for Cal-EPA’s Department of Toxic Substances Control. “Once they know that, then they will come up with a plan to get rid of it.”

Created by Gov. Pete Wilson last month, Cal-EPA has authority to approve each step of Southern Pacific’s cleanup strategy. “We will look at their plan and say yes or no, or possibly tell them to make changes,” Varenchik said.

The two spill sites--spread over a quarter of an acre of soil--are buried beneath a 1 1/2-foot-thick protective layer of sand. Continuing air sampling at their boundary has revealed no detectable levels of hydrazine fumes, said Richard Hume, an associate hazardous materials specialist with Cal-EPA.

“The threat to humans is pretty slim,” said Mike Furtney, a spokesman for Southern Pacific. Much of the chemical dissipated into the air when it was spilled and no one has any idea how much may remain in the ground, he said.

Furtney said Southern Pacific has asked the chemical’s manufacturer if the remaining hydrazine will escape naturally into the atmosphere and require no additional cleanup.

Hydrazine, a component of rocket fuel, has wide industrial applications from making shoe soles to pesticides. Exposure to its vapors is extremely irritating to the eyes, and can cause dizziness and nausea. In higher concentrations, its fumes can damage the liver and kidneys, and cause seizures and even death.

Furtney said Southern Pacific welcomes building the fences as an extra precaution. “It is to keep surfers and travelers and others who have no business on the property from wandering in an area that has potential danger.”

Meanwhile, the residents of Seacliff tried to resettle into their oceanfront homes after a six-day forced evacuation that ended late Friday.

“Yesterday, everyone was wandering around in a daze,” said Gina Hollywood, a Seacliff resident. “Today is different. People have gone back to work and are trying to get on with it.”

Hollywood said she still felt disoriented and has been startled by passing trains. Authorities have instructed nearby residents to clean their counters and remove any exposed or spoiled food. “I’m not taking any chances,” she said. “No one has been around to tell us how many chemicals were used in the cleanup. I’m cleaning as much as I can.”

One couple, Marty and Lily Eifrid, decided not to return to their rented house in Seacliff until county environmental health officials receive laboratory results of air samples taken from their home.

When allowed to return home briefly on Wednesday, the Eifrids found their English sheep dog dead on the kitchen floor.

Initial results tested positive for hydrazine fumes in the Eifrids’ home, said Dana Determan, a county environmental health officer. But the test kits, he said, could have been triggered by ammonia from dog urine or vomit found in the house.

For everyone’s “peace of mind,” Determan said, county officials have sent air samples and tissue samples from the dog for further analysis. The results are due at the end of this week.

Determan said he has told the Eifrids that it is safe to return home. The couple’s hamster and cat were also in the house and not harmed.

Marty Eifrid said he and his wife remain distraught over the loss of their 10-year-old pet dog, Bones. He said he remains concerned about the possible presence of hydrazine fumes and long-term health effects of the chemical.

“The health authorities are being very cautious,” Eifrid said. “They are not able to give us a 100% clean bill of health for the place.” He vowed to remain at a motel in Carpinteria until he gets clearer answers from county health officials.