Portion of Seal Beach Shore Cleaned, Reopened

A portion of Seal Beach was reopened Friday after a spill of about 100 gallons of oil had caused it to be closed, officials said.

The mess was spotted about 3 p.m. Thursday, along a half-mile stretch from the West Anaheim jetty to the pier, said Seal Beach lifeguard Capt. Ross Pounds.

“It looked like real, real black crude oil,” he said. “It wasn’t just a sheen.”

“There were stretches of oil spots spread out everywhere,” said lifeguard Darren Sandvig.

Officials have not determined where the oil came from.

An environmental services firm worked overnight to remove the oil, which had spread over a three-mile radius. Helicopter units and Coast Guard officials rechecked the beach Friday and gave the green light to reopen it about 9 a.m.

When the spill was spotted, lifeguards ordered beachgoers out of the water “to make sure no one swallowed it or came in contact with the oil,” Pounds said. Several people got oil on their skin but it washed off with soap and water, he said. There were no injuries, Pounds said.