Fire Leads to Chemical Find, Evacuation

Six apartments were evacuated when fire destroyed an apartment at 1010 Yorba Linda Blvd. Tuesday night, because of chemicals found after the blaze was extinguished, authorities said.

One second-story apartment was gutted and the apartment below suffered extensive water damage in the blaze, which broke out at 5:25 p.m. in the Terrace Apartments complex, said Matt Reynolds, a Placentia police services spokesman.

The resident of the most severely damaged apartment, Richard Hagmaier, 32, told investigators he had chemicals inside, Reynolds said.

Several rounds of ammunition also exploded during the blaze, and Hagmaier told investigators he had been loading bullet shells inside his apartment, Reynolds said.

Because of the water damage and chemicals, a total of 11 people were evacuated overnight from the complex, said a spokesman for the American Red Cross.