Truck hauling hydrogen tanks catches fire in Diamond Bar

(FOX 11/CNS) - Firefighters have stabilized the hydrogen and the evacuation area has been reduced to about 10 blocks of the site.

Evacuation sites have been set up at Diamond Bar High School at 21400 Pathfinder Road and at Calvary Chapel Golden Springs at 22324 Golden Springs Dr. in Diamond Bar, the sheriff's department said

The California Highway Patrol has shut down the on and off-ramps on the eastbound Pomona (60) Freeway at Brea Canyon Road, CHP Officer Stephan Brandt said.

A fire in a truck carrying compressed hydrogen tanks caused the evacuation of people in a one mile radius area of suburban Diamond Bar on Sunday, and a county HazMat team was sent because of the danger of an explosion.

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The fire broke out at about 1:20 p.m. at the intersection of South Brea Canyon Road and Golden Springs Drive, according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher. That location is just south of the Riverside (60) Freeway and west of the Orange (57) Freeway, but freeway traffic was not
impeded.

The CHP reported witnesses heard a small explosion.

County fire then dispatched a HazMat team to the site because of the possibility of an explosion, the dispatcher said. The truck was carrying about 20 tanks of hydrogen. Firefighters managed to put out the truck fire shortly before 4 p.m., according to the county fire department.

Aerial TV footage showed the tanks were being cooled by water jets from two fire trucks, with firefighters walking up to the flame-scorched truck.

The truck's trailer was carrying about 25 cylinders and seven or eight were compromised, according to the fire department. Only one tank was still leaking as of 6 p.m. The fire department plans to fill the cylinders with inert gas.

About two hours after the fire started, sheriff's deputies from the Diamond Bar/Walnut station began a evacuating residents within a half mile of the site, Deputy Kimberly Alexander said.