The State : Toxic Material Found in Barn

Solano County authorities evacuated dozens of residents within a half mile of a barn holding 70,000 gallons of illegally stored toxic chemicals, including explosives. The materials, many stored in leaky containers, were found by the state Department of Food and Agriculture, acting on a tip, at a rural site north of the Sacramento River between Sacramento and San Francisco. Investigators found chemicals used in munitions that had been stored in the barn in drums since 1981. Deputy Dist. Atty. Mark Pollack said the materials had been obtained as surplus from the Defense Department. He said the owner of the materials, identified as Richard Armor, was being sought in Alaska with a warrant charging him with illegal disposition of toxic materials in the barn that he leased.