Ridgeline hazmat issue!!!

[Sandman]

A friend that lives in Ridgeline at Bass Lake just asked me if I knew about the situation going on there right now. Apparently there is a hazmat issue and everyone is asked to stay in their homes with windows closed and air off. 7 victims so far but not sure what their status is. News crew is also on scene.

Does anyone have more info on this?

[rimalicious]

Apparently we had some automated messages at home having to do with this incident but I didnt hear them myself yet. My SO assumed they were bogus and I told him "Nope, I read about it on Oakhurst Forums!" :)

[Iris]

I have no details, but while watching Channel 47 awhile ago a short "blurb" indicated that several people and 2 Sheriffs had to be decontaminated at Bass Lake. It sounded as if this issue would be the lead story on the new at 5 PM.
Scary, hope everyone is okay! :(

[Newcomer]

Probably just another raw sewage spill :D

It is just a guess, I don't want to start any rumors to scare off any tourists. I have not seen any mention of the event on the news this evening.

[Iris]

Unfortunately it is not a guess and lack of knowledge can be dangerous. On the 6 PM edition of the Channel 47 news the following report was on shortly after 6 PM:
Christina Mousson reported that 16 people were sick near Bass Lake. At about 10:30 this morning 300 homes in Ridgeline were under lockdown and 2 homes were evacuated. A family of 4 complained of scratchy throats, difficulty breathing and scratchy skin from what they believed to be an odor coming from their back porch. The responder indicated that home defense spray or pool chlorine was suspected. Testing was done for pepper spray, bug spray and chemicals used on boats (on their porch).
The residents were pleased with the timely response of responders, but there is still no definitive determination of the cause of the incident.
The story is not on their website, but I imagine that Ms. Mousson can be contacted for details.

[Kahlua Kid]

Thanks for posting the update.

[Sandman]

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5511601

07/25/2007 - Emergency crews cleared the scene of an evacuation Wednesday, in eastern Madera County after hours of investigation.
Related Links


Watch Action News On Demand (http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=websites&id=4832386)
Watch ABC Primetime Online (http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=primetime&id=4733635)


It began Wednesday morning in a neighborhood on the north end of Bass Lake. Cal Fire and sheriff's officials say sixteen people were treated for breathing problems and minor skin irritation. Six homes were evacuated and another 290 people received phone calls alerting them to the problem. Investigators narrowed the problem down to four possible causes.
No one was taken to the hospital and residents were allowed home about 3:30 the same afternoon.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" height="350" width="607"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" width="607">Portions of Eastern Madera County Evacuated (http://ww2.abc30.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipid1=1615495&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Portions+of+Eastern+Madera+County+Evacuated&d1=25933&redirUrl=www.abc30.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage)</td><td valign="top" width="124"><table background="http://kfsn.images.worldnow.com/global/images/static/video/btn/email_video_frame.gif" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="7" height="111" width="124"><tbody><tr><td valign="top">http://kfsn.images.worldnow.com/images/1615495_vt.jpg
http://kfsn.images.worldnow.com/images/static/gfx/pxl_trans.gif (http://ww2.abc30.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipid1=1615495&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Portions+of+Eastern+Madera+County+Evacuated&d1=25933&redirUrl=www.abc30.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage)</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td colspan="2" valign="center" width="607">You'll need a version of Windows Media Player 7 or higher to view the video. If you need to download it, go to http://www.microsoft.com<wbr>/windows/mediaplayer/en<wbr>/default.asp. (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/en/default.asptarget=_blank) The video player is supported by Microsoft IE 5.0 and above.</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Kahlua Kid]

And those 4 possible causes were...???

[Mysteefied]

wow, interesting, I hadn't heard a thing about this. I'd also like to know the 4 possible causes.

[Iris]

I did a search on Fresno Bee's site for Bass Lake and found the following info:

News Briefs
07/26/07 04:19:29
More information
16 sickened by Bass Lake fumes
Sixteen people who inhaled a hazardous substance Wednesday at Bass Lake were treated after being sickened by fumes.
Six homes were evacuated for more than four hours.
Nobody was hospitalized, but among those overcome by the fumes were four emergency responders, including a Madera County sheriff's deputy, said Erica Stuart, a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.
The incident was initially reported about 10:20 a.m. by a resident along Saddleback Loop and Smoking Tree. The emergency was declared over at 2:53 p.m., she said.
Stuart said the incident was reported by a woman who was having difficulty breathing while she was seated outside her home. When she went inside, she found her son and parents also were having trouble breathing.
Deputies went door to door to check on residents. The Sheriff's Department made 290 telephone calls advising residents within a half-mile radius to stay indoors and turn off their air conditioners, Stuart said.
The county Environmental Health Department narrowed the cause to pepper spray, pesticide, chlorine or a sealant being used on boats at the nearby lake.

[Sandman]

Hazardous material causes irritation in Bass Lake

By Denise Aday (daday@sierrastar.com) at Sierra Star (http://www.sierrastar.com)
<!--/STORYHEADLINE--><!--STORYBODY--> (Updated Friday, July 27, 2007, 3:38 PM)

The Madera County Sheriff's Department issued a "rapid notification alert" at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, warning of possible hazardous materials, reportedly causing respiratory and skin irritation at a house in the Bass Lake area.


<!-- BEGIN Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/nophoto.comp -->The alert affected individuals within a half-mile radius of a house on Saddleback Drive in the Ridgeline Housing Complex off Bass Lake Road (222).


"A total of 16 people complained of symptoms ranging from irritated throat to itchy skin," said sheriff's spokesperson Erica Stuart, "including an elderly couple and 16-year-old youth in the home, a sheriff's deputy, at least two Cal Fire personnel and other emergency services personnel."


All reportedly went through decontamination procedures.


"The Environmental Health Department responded to the area, and we erred on the side of caution by closing off the vicinity and issuing and alert on the rapid notification system, which calls each household in the affected area," Stuart said. "We asked those within a half-mile radius of the house to stay in their homes, close their doors and windows and turn off their air conditioning."


Retired law enforcement officer Jim Ferguson lives on Saddleback Drive and thought the first phone call was a hoax.


"I received a phone call from the sheriffs department saying keep your door shut and turn your air conditioner off, but I thought it was a bogus call," Ferguson said. "Then I saw two ambulances across the street, and I turned off the air conditioning unit and started calling for information. I received an 'all clear' call at 2:53 p.m. and a second, confirming call, about an hour later. Thankfully, we didn't experience any irritation at our house."


Stuart reported that hazardous materials experts narrowed the possible causes to a number of chemicals which can be known to "out gas" and cause this type of irritation, including pool chemicals, boat sealants, bug spray and pepper spray.


"Any of these chemicals can off-gas or seep from their containers," Stuart said. "We removed suspect chemicals from the area that may have contributed to the problem. The irritant has dissipated, and the area is considered safe, but investigators don't have a definitive cause at this time."


Stuart said the affected individuals required treatment but the irritation was not considered life threatening.


"Nevertheless, it is an irritant and people's lives were affected for more than four hours," Stuart said.


Stuart said if people receive a call from the sheriff's department's rapid notification system, they should follow the safety directions as quickly as possible, then call the sheriff's department at (559) 675-7770 if they have any additional questions.



http://www.sierrastar.com/news/story/13832154p-14406757c.html