Santa Ana : 300-Gallon Foam Spill Forces Closure of Street

A truck carrying polyurethane foam spilled 300 gallons of its load at the corner of Edinger Avenue and Newhope Street in Santa Ana Monday morning, closing westbound lanes of Edinger to traffic for several hours. About 50 to 75 gallons were cleaned from the street by Fiber Chem Co. of Anaheim, the company responsible for the spill, said Bill Reedy, Santa Ana’s deputy fire chief.

A “large percentage” of the spill flowed into Fountain Valley’s storm-drain system, Reedy said. Fountain Valley Fire Chief Richard E. Jorgensen said the cleanup crew removed the foam from the street and drain after first placing sandbags downstream and then vacuuming up the substance.

The foam--used in construction as building insulation--did not pose a health hazard, Reedy said, but would have created an environmental problem had it continued through the drainage system without treatment. A spokeswoman for Fiber Chem called the spill “inconsequential.”