Nearly a dozen people, including a firefighter and police officer, were evaluated at a hospital after being exposed to an unknown gas in Riverside that had prompted the closure of a local school and evacuations in the area.
The Riverside Fire Department tweeted that people were being evacuated from 10th Street to 14th Street and Victoria Avenue to Howard Avenue around 8:04 a.m. because an unknown gas substance was leaking.
Although the department initially tweeted that a hazmat team stopped the leak, a tweet 20 minutes later stated it had not been stopped, but rather slowed.
A firefighter and police officer were evaluated at a local hospital for possible exposure to the gas during early stages of the investigation, the department tweeted.
At least nine others were also hospitalized, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“The Isolation Zone” was later expanded one block west of Howard Avenue to Commerce Street, the department tweeted at 8:57 a.m.
The zone included Lincoln High School, located at 4341 Victoria Ave. (map), which was closed for the day due to the leak, the Riverside Unified School District stated on its website.
“Please note that the gas leak is not on our campus, but at a residence behind the campus. However, as a safety precaution we have closed school for the day. Hazardous materials teams are in the area assessing the situation,” the school district website stated.
Residents who were not allowed to return to their homes were advised to go to the Caesar Chavez Community Center at 2060 University Ave. (map), the fire department tweeted.
Check back for more information on this developing story.