Accident triggers HazMat alert in Huntington Beach

A hazardous materials alert was triggered in Huntington Beach Wednesday when an employee of a business apparently mixed up chemicals in a 55-gallon drum, a fire captain said.

The alert started at 9:30 a.m. after the worker accidentally mixed chemicals into the drum not realizing it was already filled with other chemicals, Huntington Beach Fire Capt. Steve Teasdale said.

The mixture “started to self-heat,” Teasdale said.

About 50 employees in the business, which makes conductors, were led out of the building and employees in neighboring businesses sheltered in place, Teasdale said.

Huntington Beach firefighters, with help from Anaheim’s firefighters, huddled up to devise a plan to address the hazard, Teasdale said.

In a post on the department’s Facebook page issued shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday, HBFD officials reported that all hazards had been contained and the incident fully mitigated.

Firefighters turned the drum back over to the property owner at 12:30 p.m. to hire a hazardous waste company to dispose of it, Teasdale said. The employees were allowed back into the building and no one was injured.

“We appreciate the coordinated efforts of all responding personnel whose teamwork ensured a safe and efficient resolution to the incident,” the HBPD’s Facebook post said.

— Assistant editor Sara Cardine contributed to this report.