Chemical leak in Riverside sends 11 people to hospital

Nearly a dozen people, including fire and police officials, were hospitalized early Monday after they were exposed to an unknown chemical leaking from a tank near Lincoln High School in Riverside.

The leak prompted authorities to shut down the surrounding neighborhood of 130 homes and order residents to shelter in place, said Riverside Fire Division Chief Mitch Wesche. Students arriving at the high school were turned away.

The affected area includes from 10th to 14th streets and Victoria Avenue to Commerce Street.

Three police officers and a firefighter were among those taken to hospitals for observation, Wesche said. Seven residents drove themselves to hospitals.

A chemical odor was reported at 6:16 a.m. to be emanating from a 5-foot-tall welding tank in a resident’s backyard, officials said.

Crews were able to stop the leak, but the neighborhood remained closed off.

Residents who sheltered in place were not allowed to leave or enter their homes.

A hazardous-material team and Riverside County public health officials plan to investigate how the leak occurred and why the chemical was in the neighborhood.

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