On August 13, a large-scale investigation was underway near Perris after an undisclosed chemical spill in a rail car led to evacuations and highway closures.

The spill occurred on a railroad parallel to Highway 215 at Harvill Avenue and Oleander Avenue, north of Perris, about 7:40 p.m. Thursday. The leak came from a fuel tank that "overheated and could be ready to explode," according to the local fire department, and there was a lot of smoke rising above the railway station.

According to reports, due to the chemical spill, emergency evacuation is underway near Riverside County in 215. Amazon's ONT8, ONT9, XLX2, and SBD3 are affected by this incident. The above warehouses will be temporarily closed . The specific opening time is unknown . extension.

It is unclear when the fuel tank started leaking. As a result, evacuation orders were issued for more than 170 homes within half a mile of the spill, affecting homes north of Markham Street, east of Donna Lane, south of Nandina Avenue and west of Patterson Avenue .

[(Areas affected by Riverside County evacuation order) Source: CBSLA]

An evacuation center was set up at Pinacart Secondary School, a complete closure was implemented on both sides of Highway 215 from Van Buren Avenue to the Ramona Freeway, and Metrolink rail service to Perris was affected by the leak as it was unable to pass through the evacuation zone.

At a news conference Friday morning, authorities revealed that the material was styrene, a chemical commonly used to make foam products, latex and synthetic rubber, and that the can contained about 1,000 pounds of the chemical.

Because the tanks have been monitored by drones, the temperature of the tanks is currently very high, and the staff have not yet been able to access the tanks, which are traditionally stored at cooler temperatures. As of Friday, the material in the tank had reached temperatures of over 300 degrees, which is estimated to continue for up to three days .

(Amazon ONT8 warehouse )

"As the heat builds up inside the vehicle, it builds up pressure and could be released, meaning a violent explosion could happen at any time," an official said at a Friday morning news conference. Extremely hot temperatures in the area made the event worse. To make things even more complicated, triple-digit temperatures are expected on Friday.

"Right now we've been doing temperature checks on the railcar. It's in a steady state and the temperature hasn't continued to rise. However, today the temperature in the area is expected to be between 100 and 105 degrees, so we have to Expand the evacuation area. ”

Authorities hoped a drop of nearly 20 degrees on Saturday would mean the chemicals in the tanks began to solidify, but the unfamiliarity with the situation made it impossible to confirm whether that process actually happened.

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