La Habra residents may have noticed a large orange plume over the neighborhoods near city hall Tuesday afternoon, which forced locals in the area to shelter in place for a couple of hours after the La Habra Police Department confirmed a chemical leak.
Despite LA County firefighters lifting the shelter in place order, several streets were still closed in the early afternoon according to the La Habra Police Department.
“Cypress Street from Lambert Rd. to La Habra Blvd will remain closed until further notice,” reads a post from the police department at just before 2:30 p.m.
It’s the second chemical incident this year after over 50,000 Orange County residents were forced to evacuate when a chemical tank in Garden Grove nearly exploded, opening questions on how well regulated local chemical companies really are.
Read: Are California’s Toxic Regulators Strong Enough to Protect Local Neighborhoods?
It’s unclear where exactly the leak originated from, with the police department noting it was within the “500 block” of Cypress Street. The LA County Fire Department, which has covered La Habra since 2005, and declined to state the source of the chemical leak.
“We’re not releasing the name of the business,” said Fire Capt. Aaron Katon. “That’ll be for the business to do.”
Katon added “The leak has been mitigated and the plume has dissipated, residents are not in any further danger…There is no advisory in place at this time.”
It’s also unknown what chemicals leaked in the plume, which towered over the area for hours creating an orange plume before dissipating.
At its height, La Habra police put up social media postings asking residents within a mile to shelter in place, evacuating only those closest to the site on Cypress.
Washington Middle School was roughly a mile away from the site, and students evacuated to the Boys and Girls Club according to former City Councilman Tim Shaw.
The police department also closed a series of roads according to their Instagram page which were in the process of being lifted at 2:30 p.m. according to the police department.
“All areas east of Euclid Street to Harbor Blvd and Cypress Street between La Habra and Lambert are blocked off,” reads the police department’s post. “Evacuations are being made, please stay out of the area.”
These types of facilities in local neighborhoods have been triggering increased questions from state legislators.
Read: Santana: Industrial Business Regulations Get Fresh Look in Wake of Garden Grove Evacuation
Earlier this year, state legislators adopted legislation that would reverse certain exemptions for industrial businesses in neighborhoods, but Governor Newsom has yet to sign it.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
