Ventura residents told to evacuate after hazmat incident 

The City of Ventura has told residents of several neighborhoods to evacuate due to a hazardous material incident. 

The hazmat situation was first reported in the Pierpont neighborhood this past Thursday morning, officials said. 

Evacuation warnings and orders were issued on Thursday but subsequently lifted by that evening. 

Updates posted to the city’s emergency alert webpage indicate that potentially dangerous levels of hydrocarbon vapors were detected on Bayshore Avenue on Sunday morning. 

The Ventura Police Department initially issued an evacuation warning that urged residents to leave on Sunday, but a mandatory evacuation order was put in place soon after. 

An additional alert message was sent to 4,048 residents south of Seaward Avenue, west of Harbor Boulevard and east of Schooner Drive, cautioning them that an evacuation warning was issued shortly after 10:30 a.m. 

Those who may need more time are urged to leave as soon as possible, authorities said. 

According to city officials, the hazmat situation was caused by a gas leak that seeped into critical infrastructure. 

“An underground contamination source near Monmouth Way between Harbor and Pierpont boulevards has been identified as the cause of a hazardous materials incident that occurred in the Pierpont neighborhood on Sept. 19,” the emergency alert webpage said. “A gasoline substance was found to have leaked from a nearby property into the sewer line. The property owner is investigating and isolating the exact cause and location of the leak.” 

Local water crews are continuing to repair a 300-foot section of the sewer line impacted by the leak, and road closures remain in effect at Monmouth Way and the southbound 101 Freeway exit. 

First responders were on scene in Pierpont as of 10:30 a.m.

Repairs are anticipated to be completed by Monday, officials stated. 

This hazmat incident began two days after a hazardous spill was reported in the operating room of a hospital in nearby Camarillo and five days after authorities investigated a hazmat situation at a Ventura grocery store in which an “irritant” was released, police said.