Evacuation order expected to last 24hrs near Stanton Ave. in San Pablo due to hazmat event, officials say

SAN PABLO, Calif. -- A bomb squad is investigating hundreds of boxes with several hazardous materials found Wednesday afternoon in a San Pablo backyard shed, Contra Costa fire officials said.

The discovery at a home in the 900 block of Stanton Avenue prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents in the area, Contra Costa Fire Protection District spokesman Chris Toler said. The evacuation is expected to last at least 24 hours.

Officials aren't saying what kind of hazardous materials were stored in the shed, or whether they are toxic or explosive. "They aren't basic household chemicals," Toler said, adding that they may not have been labeled or the labels had degraded with time.

Authorities were alerted to the situation after the homeowner's brother took chemicals to a recycling center, where someone asked where he got them, Toler said. Information on whether the brother or someone else alerted authorities wasn't immediately available.

The homeowner wasn't there Wednesday, but the brother is cooperating with the investigation, Toler said.

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At 12:50 p.m., a shelter-in-place was ordered for a "hazmat event" and that was updated to an evacuation order from the Contra Costa County Community Warning System at 4:22 p.m.

Toler said once the bomb squad went in, it immediately came out and ordered the evacuation, as well as a six-block perimeter around the home.

"We want to give residents plenty of space," he said. "They have to transport the material down streets."

The evacuation area is between Giant Road, Miner Avenue, 11th Street and Palmer Avenue.

Firefighters went door to door to alert residents of the evacuation. The Contra Costa Community College gymnasium, at 2600 Mission Bell Drive, is open to evacuees.

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