Mystery surrounds oxygen tank explosions

Several oxygen tanks exploded Monday afternoon in a school parking lot in Huntington Beach after being dumped from a trash truck.

“Rainbow [Disposal] was doing some trash collection in the area of Hawes Elementary School,” Deputy Fire Marshall Jeff Lopez said. “They were collecting the recycling cans, and at about 2:40 the driver noticed smoke coming from the truck and heard an explosion.”

The driver called the fire department and dumped the load of trash in the parking lot of the school on Yellowstone Drive, following fire safety protocol, Lopez said.

When fire authorities arrived, the driver described hearing more explosions coming from the trash pile.

Authorities found remnants of oxygen cylinders, meant for personal home use, that had been illegally dumped in a recycle bin that was later emptied into the trash truck.

The tanks had been exploding and rupturing, “sending projectiles to and fro,” Lopez said.

The fire department worked with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad, the police department, Public Works and Rainbow Disposal to resolve the situation, Lopez said.

“They identified that there were likely to be one to two more cylinders in the fire,” he said.

When the bomb squad found one more unexploded cylinder, they safely detonated it to relieve the pressure.

In the meantime, the 10 homes closest to the site of the explosions were evacuated.

“By about 7:40 in the evening, the situation was resolved,” Lopez said. Residents were sent back into their homes, and Rainbow Disposal took the trash away.

“There have been no official reports of any injuries,” Lopez said.

Lopez said police are investigating how the tanks were left in a recycle bin. Fire authorities are still unclear as to how the fire started in the trash truck.

“They’ve got an individual who claimed responsibility for possession of them a couple weeks ago,” Lopez said. “It seems someone else got a hold of the bottles as he was leaving them on the doorstep [for the supplier to pick them up].”

The trash trucks compress trash down, so the situation could have been much worse, Lopez said; it’s possible a compressed gas cylinder could fly through the side of the truck if squeezed, he said.

“It’s definitely very unsafe,” Lopez said.

Pressurized gas containers, like oxygen tanks, are considered hazardous materials and should not be put in trash or recycle bins.

Locals who wish to drop off hazardous materials can do so at Rainbow Disposal, 17121 Nichols St.

For hours or more information, call (714) 834-6752 or visit rainbowdisposal.com.

You Can Take These To Rainbow Disposal

 Oil and latex paint, and paint products

 Automotive products (batteries, motor oil, antifreeze, etc.)

 Aerosol cans (full or partially full)

 Fluorescent, neon or mercury light bulbs

 Household batteries

 Radios, clocks, hair dryers

 Cell phones and circuit boards

 TV sets

 E-waste (computer monitors, printers, etc.)

 Household cleaners and solvents

 Thermometers (mercury)

 Hobby and pool supplies

 Pesticides and herbicides

 Thermostats

 Gas cylinders

 Wood preservatives