4 Firefighters Hurt in Garage Blaze Involving Pool Chemicals

Four county firefighters were hospitalized and about 15 people were evacuated from their homes Monday when a fire ignited pool chemicals in a garage, authorities said.

The fire broke out at 3:21 p.m. at a four-unit condominium complex in the 5000 block of Beach Boulevard, said Emmy Day, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Fire Authority. The fire was knocked down quickly, but the pool chemicals caused burning and respiratory problems for four of the firefighters, Day said.

They were treated at Martin Luther Hospital in Anaheim and released, Day said.

Because the chemical reaction caused a potentially dangerous situation, 30 people who lived nearby were told to either evacuate or stay inside their homes with the windows and doors closed, Fire Capt. Dan Young said. About half of them chose to evacuate, Young said.

“Normally, these chemicals aren’t a problem, but when they all get mixed together, you can have a chemical reaction like we had,” Young said.

Young said the fire itself caused only minimal damage to the garage and to the truck that contained the chemicals. The chemicals were wrapped in plastic and removed by county environmental officials, he said.