More than two dozen residents were evacuated from their apartment homes early Saturday when the Huntington Beach Fire Department’s hazmat team was sent to investigate a possible drug lab in an apartment unit, but nothing was found — not even the source of a noxious odor that affected three police officers.
Huntington Beach Police officers responded shortly before 3 a.m. to a report of suspicious activity at an apartment unit at 8142 La Paz. When they arrived in the vicinity, they were affected by unknown fumes and suffered respiratory discomfort, according to Deputy Marshal Jeff Lopez.
A hazmat team was sent to the apartment complex and about 25 people were evacuated. The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at Murdy Community Center, Lopez said. The three officers affected by the odor were decontaminated and sent to a local hospital as a precaution before being released, Lopez said.
About seven hours later, the hazmat team was unable to find a drug lab or the source of the odor, Lopez said.
— Ruben Vives