SIMI VALLEY : Toxic Leak Forces Workers Out of Building

Ventura County fire officials evacuated about 20 employees of a Simi Valley medical-supply manufacturer Friday after workers saw a toxic chemical leaking from the building.

Employees arriving about 6 a.m. at ITT Shero Tech in the 700 block of Cochran Street, just west of 1st Street, noticed a green liquid seeping out of the front entrance of the building, Fire Department spokeswoman Tracy Valencia said.

“This stuff, which is really, really bad stuff, leaked out,” Simi Valley Police Lt. Neal Rein said. “Most of it was in the building, but some of it leaked out.”

Within 10 minutes, emergency workers had evacuated the building and told employees in adjacent businesses to either leave their offices or remain inside with the doors closed during the cleanup, authorities said.

Emergency workers later determined that the chemical, which leaked from a ruptured container, was a toxic substance used for treating water, Valencia said.

The county’s hazardous materials crew contained the contamination and turned over the cleanup job to a private contractor hired by ITT Shero Tech, officials said.

Employees in adjacent businesses were allowed to return to their offices about 9:45 a.m., according to workers at a nearby printing shop.