A portion of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve inside the East Bay Regional Park District is closed off after a call out to the Contra Costa County Hazardous Materials team.
The incident occurred just after 8:30 am Tuesday in the 5100 block of Somersville Road which required a response from County Hazmat, Contra Costa County Fire and East Bay Regional Park District Fire.
According to Paul Cutino, Assistant Fire Chief at East Bay Regional Park District, two chemicals were mixed and created a gas.
“The Contractor was inside shooting concrete into one of the areas inside the mine,” explained Cutino. “Somehow they mixed a small portion of two chemicals, which emitted a gas that was quickly recognized and they moved it outside the mine and into an open area.”
Cutino says that area is now prohibited from the general public as a precaution as they work to clean the scene. The roadway passed the gate entry is closed past the first parking lot to control access and are asking hikes to hike in other parts of the park.
As of 11:00 am, they are currently in the process in performing an identification on the chemical substances and hope to have the scene clear by 2:00 pm.
“Our priority is the safety of the park visitors and so the park will be open but shut it down in that area to have that added safety to any park visitor,” said Cutino.
Check back for updates.
