HazMat Scare Follows Fire At Brea Industrial Building

BREA, CA — Residents in Brea were told to evacuate their homes Thursday morning following a fire and hazardous materials incident in the city of Brea. authorities said.

While firefighters battled the flames, a foul odor lingered in the air, officials say. Alkaline soap may be the source of the hazardous materials release, according to media reports. The dangerous substance escaped when materials were exposed to water used to fight the fire, authorities said.

At just before 3 a.m. a fire began for unknown reasons at Bristol Industries in the city of Brea on the 600 block of East Lambert Road, Thursday.

Multiple agencies responded to the blaze, including Fullerton, Orange County Fire Authority, LA County Fire, and the Anaheim Fire departments. While the origin of the fire was under investigation, much of the damage was contained and minimized by the company's sprinkler system and other safeguards, said Brea-Fullerton Fire Dept. Division Chief Chris Nigg.

The sprinklers "kept the fire in check for us to ultimately put it out" in about an hour, Nigg said.

"The fire was knocked down relatively quickly once we determined the hazmat issue."

The company manufactures aerospace metals, and the fire started in plastic tanks where a "caustic soap is used to clean the metals," Nigg said. "The biggest concern we had was containing the runoff. No one was injured and "there was no direct threat to the public."

Lambert Road was closed in both directions between State College Boulevard and Cliffwood Avenue. Those roads reopened just before 7 a.m., but the pedestrian trail between State College and Cliffwood remained closed.

Bristol Industries aerospace industrial complex manufactures fasteners for the aerospace industry, according to the website for the business.

Drivers are asked to use alternate routes until further notice.

This is a developing report. Refresh for the latest information.