Several blocks southwest of campus were closed Thursday
afternoon while hazardous materials crews investigated the contents
of a truck carrying containers filled with unidentified industrial
chemicals.
The streets remained closed between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., until
authorities determined the chemicals ““ which were at one
point thought to be potentially explosive ““ posed no threat.
There were no injuries.
Though the area was not completely evacuated, re-entry into the
affected zone was restricted. For several hours, many students who
live along Gayley Avenue between the two intersections with
Landfair Avenue were unable to return to their homes and those who
had parked in Parking Lot 8 could not retrieve their vehicles.
Sometime between 1 and 4 p.m. a truck from a laboratory in El
Segundo attempted to drop off chemicals at UCLA S.A.F.E. Collection
Center, a household hazardous materials drop-off center at the
corner of Gayley Avenue and Strathmore Drive.
Though authorities could not determine exactly what the
chemicals were, the truck was carrying three types of chemicals
““ flammable, toxic and temperature-sensitive, said Miguel
Garcia, supervising hazardous materials specialist for the County
of Los Angeles Fire Department Health Hazardous Materials
Division.
The site normally serves as a drop-off point for household
chemicals, but does not handle industrial chemicals.
Authorities believe the delivery of chemicals was a mistake and
was not malicious.
“Somehow they got their wires crossed and thought this was
an appropriate place to drop off their materials,” said Cpt.
Ron Harmon, station commander of Fire Station 37 in Westwood.
“This was not a crime but it was a violation of common
sense.”
Inspectors at the drop-off site notified authorities after
discovering the chemicals were temperature sensitive and
potentially dangerous.
About 100 officials, including LAPD and UCPD officers, Community
Service Officers, Los Angeles firefighters, bomb squad and HazMat
crews, isolated the area, restricting pedestrian and vehicular
access, while they investigated the chemicals.
HazMat units, clad in protective suits, were able to determine
the nature of the chemicals partly through close inspection and
photography, Harmon said.
The chemicals were stored in one-gallon containers in the back
of the truck and some of the containers were packed in Styrofoam
coolers filled with ice.
As the ice surrounding the temperature-sensitive chemicals began
to melt, officials became concerned the nature of the chemicals
could change, possibly resulting in an explosion, Garcia said.
Authorities did not release the name of the laboratory from
which the chemicals came and had not yet determined if charges will
be pressed. HazMat crews hired NRC, an independent contractor, to
move and contain the chemicals.
The lab that delivered the chemicals will be billed for the
expense of the containment, a cost which will likely run into at
least the tens of thousands of dollars, Harmon said.
After authorities arrived on the scene, buildings immediately
surrounding the facility were evacuated, but the residential areas
were not, said Sgt. Podesta of the LAPD.
Throughout the duration of the inspection, apartment and
fraternity residents were held in shelter-in-place mode, which
required them to close windows and shut doors in preparation for a
potential explosion, Harmon said.
Many people were inconvenienced by the road closures.
Police officers stood guard at taped-off roads around the
affected area, repeatedly turning away curious pedestrians who
wanted to get their cars, get home or just get through.
Lizzie Dodd, a third-year history student, said she had to miss
a midterm review session because of the road closures.
Across the street from Lot 8 at about 6:30 p.m., about 20 people
gathered trying to get to their cars, only to have a police officer
tell them to come back at 8 p.m.
Alex Soghomonian, a computer- research specialist in the
pharmacology department, had parked his car on the third level of
Lot 8 before the incident.
Soghomonian got out of work at 5 p.m. and waited for more than
an hour while the roads and lot remained closed. He said he had
“no idea” what he would do until 8 p.m., adding that he
just wanted to get home to Pasadena.
Though Lot 1 on Gayley Avenue was unaffected by the closures,
traffic around Westwood was especially jammed Thursday night.
Two students who declined to give their last names, Anna and
Joe, tried unsuccessfully to get to their car, as Anna had to drive
Joe to the airport to catch a 9 p.m. flight to New York.
“I should have parked there,” Anna said, pointing to
an unaffected portion of Landfair Avenue.
With reports from Charles Proctor and Anthony Pesce, Bruin
senior staff.