Chemical Incident in Huntington Beach

A chemical mishap prompted hazardous materials teams to quickly head to Huntington Beach on Wednesday.

Reportedly, two chemicals unintentionally combined in a 55-gallon drum, resulting in an “exothermic reaction” that caused the drum to heat up, as noted by NBC LA.

The incident took place at a business located on Newsboy Circle. In response, nearby streets were closed off to ensure public safety.

“Firefighters and hazardous materials specialists are currently evaluating the situation, identifying potential hazards, and creating plans for safely addressing the incident,” stated the Huntington Beach Fire Department.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The fire department also mentioned that the dangerous chemical situation was “successfully extinguished” by approximately 12:45 p.m.

According to a Facebook update from the Huntington Beach Fire Department, their Hazardous Materials Team, in collaboration with the Anaheim Fire Rescue team, effectively worked to identify, contain, and mitigate the risks involved.

They expressed appreciation for the collective efforts of all responders, emphasizing how their teamwork led to a safe and efficient resolution.

This latest incident comes on the heels of a chemical leak in Orange County back in May, which caused significant alarm among local residents and even led to evacuations. At that time, a malfunction in a cooling system at an aerospace facility in Garden Grove reportedly resulted in the release of harmful chemicals, necessitating the evacuation of around 50,000 residents due to explosion fears.

Fire Department Chief TJ McGovern highlighted that a storage tank containing 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate—a highly flammable liquid used in producing plastic—overheated when its cooling system failed, although the exact cause of the malfunction remains unknown.