The hazmat incident started around 7:40 p.m. Thursday after reports of a chemical leak from a rail car near Harvill and Oleander avenues, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Officials identified the chemical as styrene, which overheated and could become volatile in that state. In addition to the 215 Freeway being shut down between Van Buren Boulevard and Ramona Expressway, about 170 homes in the surrounding area were evacuated.north of Markham Street, east of Donna Lane, South of Nandina Avenue and west of Patterson Avenue.
"We heard a train car start spewing out white smoke and you could hear the pressure about a mile away," said evacuated resident Michael Norton.Metrolink service was also impacted by the chemic leak and trains will be unable to travel through the area.Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.