Residents were told to evacuate after a chemical fire at a Brea manufacturing plant raised concerns about hazardous materials spreading to neighboring communities early Thursday morning, authorities said.
The fire ignited shortly before 3 a.m. on 630 E. Lambert Road and nearby residents were temporarily evacuated “out of an abundance of caution” as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, the Brea Police Department said.
The first responding crew quickly left the structure after they realized it was a chemical response that likely exposed them to a hazardous material, Brea Fire Department Investigator Nicole Pesqueira told KTLA. They were all evaluated for exposure and no one was hurt.
Hazmat teams were called to the plant and they extinguished the fire.
They determined the material was an Alkaline-based chemical, according to Pesqueira.
Ten employees who were inside the plant were evacuated and no one was injured, according to fire officials.
The incident resulted in the closure of Lambert Road between State College Boulevard and Cliffwood Avenue.
Evacuated residents were told to head to the Brea Community Center on Madison Way before the orders were lifted about an hour later, according to the city’s emergency preparedness program.
City firefighters were joined by crews from Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange County and Los Angeles County.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.