Mobile Chemistry Lab Key To Explosion Investigation

An unknown chemical was in the vacuum truck that exploded at the Santa Clara Waste Water Company early Tuesday morning.

When the back of the truck blew off a white snowflake substance blew downwind.

Ventura County hazmat crews classified it as organic peroxide, but they are doing experiments in a mobile lab to find out what is making it ignite on contact.

Santa Paula firefighters abandoned their fire engine when they drove over the substance and their tires sparked.

A Ventura County fire truck is also contaminated by the white powder and sulfuric acid that caught fire in nearby containers.

The Environmental Protection Agency flew a worker out from Colorado and hired to contractors to join the investigation.

The clean up can not begin until they can neutralize the chemicals.

A half-mile area surrounding the explosion remains under evacuation orders.

The area is blocked off at the Briggs Road exit from Highway 126 near Mission Rock Road.

Firefighters said there are about half a dozen businesses and acres of raspberry crops that could affected by the hazardous waste.

On Tuesday night, Doug Edwards, the owner of the company, said they did not deal with hazardous waste.