HUNTINGTON BEACH : Medical Offices Evacuated Over Fumes

About 50 Kaiser Permanente workers and patients were evacuated Friday from medical offices and eight were treated at local hospitals after they complained of smelling a mysterious foul odor and feeling lightheaded, fire officials said.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department’s hazardous-materials team responded to a call at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program medical offices on Beach Boulevard about 2 p.m., said Capt. Billy Ogden. When Ogden and a fire engineer entered the hospital, they also got a waft of the foul odor and felt momentarily dizzy.

“We said, ‘Wow. Better get everybody out of here,’ ” Ogden said. “We went in with protective breathing apparatus and [gas] monitors and we weren’t able to find anything.”

He said the building had been fumigated a week earlier, but it wasn’t known if that was related to the problem. Rain also could have caused some unknown substance to waft up from the sewers, he said.

“It’s not that rare. . . . All of a sudden stuff just comes up through the sewer lines or comes up through a drain,” he said. “It could have been something that floated by and came up through the air duct. . . . We couldn’t find anything that could be the cause.”

Eight employees were taken to Huntington Beach Hospital and Pacifica Hospital in Huntington Beach, where they were examined and released.

In addition to the hazardous-materials team, two ambulances, two paramedic units, one engine company and the Battalion Chief on duty responded to the call.

Ogden said the medical office building is not a hospital, and all the patients were able to walk out unassisted when they were evacuated.

After airing out the building, fire officials allowed everyone to return to work by about 3:30 p.m., he said.