Santa Paula explosion leaves dozens injured and multiple explosions and fires after unstable chemical gas was released into the atmosphere causing health concerns and random combustion. Environmental and health officials on the ground are cordoning off the area for health concerns from the unknown gas.
The Santa Paula explosion on Tuesday happened at about 3:45 am in the morning. Two workers were removing about 1,200 gallons of a chemical, most likely an organic peroxide, with the help of a vacuum truck at the Santa Clara Water Waste Co. It was being done in the 800 block of mission Rock Road. Suddenly, as the vacuuming was continuing, the gaseous compound exploded.
The chemical, a suspected organic peroxide, once exposed to air crystallized and became highly unstable. On exposure to air, random explosions and fires were the result.
The Santa Paula explosion led to the immediate lock down of the whole of the area surrounding the scene of the explosion. All people within a one mile radius of the scene had to be evacuated while those within a 2-3 mile radius were advised to stay in a safe shelter.
According to the Santa Paula police, twelve people were rushed to hospital following the explosions. This included two drivers of the fire trucks and a city worker. Other people within the radius of the explosion rushed themselves to hospital for medical checkups and a decontamination. Briggs Elementary School, which was in the surrounding area was closed and the students forced to take an early exit from school out of health concerns from the free gas.
Firefighters at the scene could not fight the fire with water as they did not know the contents of the gaseous compound. Water would be dangerous as it could further combust the compound. Instead, they let the fire die down itself. Experts are arriving at the scene of the Santa Paula explosion to determine the contents of the gaseous chemical and determine the risk it poses to the environment.
