Canoga Park Mall Partly Evacuated in Drain Leak

Eleven employees of a Topanga Plaza optical shop were treated for sore throats and dizziness, and the Canoga Park mall was partly evacuated after fumes from an industrial drain cleaner spread through the business this morning, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

Authorities said the fumes apparently spread into the Lens Crafters shop early this morning after the nontoxic drain cleaner was poured into a floor drain in the California Pizza Kitchen, directly above the optical shop in the mall at 6600 Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Battalion Chief Don Mello said it is unclear how the drain cleaner leaked out of the pipe, but a small section of a fiberboard ceiling tile in Lens Crafters became saturated with the chemical and fell to the floor. When employees arrived for work about 9 a.m., they immediately noticed a chemical odor.

“As soon as I walked in, it hit me right away,” said Paula Legan, an assistant manager.

“It was a real chemical smell,” added Terry Riley, also an assistant manager. “It smelled like mothballs.”

Soon after, the employees of the shop began to complain of dizziness, nausea and scratchy throats. “I started feeling lightheaded, and my tongue kind of got numb,” said Crystal Moore, who works in the optical laboratory, near where the collapsed ceiling tile was found.

The Fire Department’s hazardous materials unit was called, and the 11 employees were taken outside and checked by paramedics. Firefighters closed off the south end of the mall but allowed the rest of the shopping center to remain open. The Broadway department store was allowed to stay open after closing off its doors to the mall.

Mello said none of the employees who complained of illness was hospitalized. “We don’t see a major problem,” Mello said. “All their vital signs were good, and we released them.”

Mello said the mall will reopen completely after the ceiling tile is removed and any remaining fumes are blown out of the building with Fire Department fans. He said the city’s Building and Zoning Department will inspect the pipes below the restaurant to determine the cause of the leak and whether the restaurant or mall should be cited for any code violations.

Gary Nellis, a regional director for California Pizza Kitchen Inc., said the drain cleaner had been used routinely at the restaurant and had caused no previous problems.

No fumes were detected in the restaurant, although it was temporarily evacuated by firefighters as a precaution.