Noxious Cloud Sickens 10 Workers

Ten people were hospitalized and dozens more evacuated Thursday after a chemical reaction at an Irvine business produced a noxious cloud that forced firefighters to cordon off a business complex near John Wayne Airport for more than three hours.

Some 45 firefighters and hazardous materials experts responded to Enthone in the 16000 block of Von Karman Avenue after employees reported that some sort of reaction occurred as they mixed a high-grade paint. The firm makes paint and coatings for circuit boards.

Three Enthone employees and seven people from nearby offices were taken to Irvine Medical Center with breathing problems and throat irritation, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Stephen Miller.

Six businesses in the commercial complex were evacuated after the 5:30 a.m. incident and workers were turned away as they arrived for work.

Wearing protective gear, hazmat crews moved a 600-pound vat of a powder chemical to a scrubbing room until it could be stabilized. Miller said the chemical mixture could have caused an explosion because of the intense heat it had produced.

Carlos Cruz, 18, and Ricardo Fisher, 38, both of Westminster, were packaging medical supplies at a neighboring business when officers came in and evacuated the building. “They said to get out, move it,” said Fisher, who works at University Medical. “I was a little scared because it could have come over to our building.”