Federal and local officials are starting to clean up an area in Ventura County after an explosion of hazardous materials on Tuesday sent dozens of people to hospitals for decontamination.
At about 3:45 a.m., a vacuum truck exploded into flames at the Santa Clara Waste Water Co. west of Santa Paula, emptying businesses and homes for a mile around. The incident spread 1,200 gallons of a mysterious waste chemical mixture that contained sulfuric acid and a highly combustible organic peroxide, fire officials said.
The explosion, chemical spill and fire sent 52 people to area hospitals, including 10 firefighters, according to a statement from the Ventura County Fire Protection District released Saturday.
All but two of these people were treated and released.
"Kind of scary ... I didn't really know what's going on," said parent Lisa Williams soon after the explosion. "And I was like, 'Oh, I need to go get my baby.'"
An evacuation order in place since the incident Tuesday was lifted Saturday, according to the Ventura fire officials, who expect residents and business owners to return to the area promptly. All businesses may open except for the Waste Water facility.
The Ventura County Fire Department is now working with the Environmental Protection Agency, county Sheriff’s Office and Ventura County Environmental Health to clean up the hazardous materials, according to the statement. There is no estimate for how long the clean-up will take.
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Residents can follow updates at the Ventura County emergency website.
Ted Chen and Kelly Goff contributed to this report.
