By Jim Holt & Gilbert Bernal
Signal Staff Writers
HazMat crews were called to the suspected illegal dumping of a corrosive material in Castaic on Tuesday morning.
Firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department specially trained in handling hazardous materials were called to the 28000 block of Industry Drive at about 9:50 a.m. for reports of someone dumping barrels marked as corrosive.
After more than five hours at the scene, HazMat officials concluded the contents of the drums were “unhazardous,” Fire Department spokesman Austin Bennett said late Tuesday afternoon.
At no time was there a leak and no spill, he said.
“The call was for three 55-gallon drums,” Fire Department spokesman Marvin Lim said earlier in the day, noting that is was reported to fire officials that the drums were marked to contain corrosive material.
Fire Capt. Frederic Stowers, HazMat coordinator, said of the drums: “They were left here possibly since last week, unknown where the barrels came from.
“They’re not from the companies here,” he said. “Workers found the barrels and they called the Sheriff’s Department about a possibly harmful, unknown substance.
“We don’t know how much quantities within the barrel so what we’re going to do is make an entry try to identify the products and find out if there’s any specific hazardous flammables corrosives or anything,” Stowers said.
An additional HazMat crew was called to the scene to follow up on reports of illegal dumping, he said.
In all, more than a half-dozen firefighting units, including at least two HazMat units, responded to the call.
“No evacuations are going on,” said Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
661-287-5527
On Twitter @jamesarthurholt
