Lebec Oaks Road Blocked (reopened)

  • The road block at Canyon and Lebec Oaks Road [ Jim Stoughton photo special to The Mountain Enterprise]

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    The road block at Canyon and Lebec Oaks Road [ Jim Stoughton photo special to The Mountain Enterprise]

  • HazMat firefighter preparing a drone to approach the powder. [Gary Meyer photo for The Mountain Enterprise]

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    HazMat firefighter preparing a drone to approach the powder. [Gary Meyer photo for The Mountain Enterprise]

  • The pile that was discovered and reported in the road.

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    The pile that was discovered and reported in the road. "It did not look as if it had fallen off a truck, it looked as if it was placed there," Reporter Gary Meyer said. [Gary Meyer photo for The Mountain Enterprise]

UPDATE • LEBEC, CA (Friday, June 24, 2016 at 10:45 a.m.)—The roadway was reopened at about 10:40 a.m.

UPDATE • LEBEC, CA (Friday, June 24, 2016 at 10:14 a.m.)—Kern County Environmental Health is currently evaluating the scene, according to Battalion 5 Chief Kirk Kushen. “The crew with Engine 56 is going to wash down the roadway,” Kushen said. The road should be reopened by about 10:30 a.m. Kushen said it did not appear to be a hazardous substance.

UPDATE • LEBEC, CA (Friday, June 24, 2016 at 9:34 a.m.)—The Lebec Oaks Road closure is from Yosemite to Canyon in Los Padres Estates. The call came it at 6:55 a.m. A Kern County Sheriff’s deputy responded and alerted the county roads department. Kern County Fire Engine 56 from Lebec responded to secure the scene and call in HazMat Engine 66.

Reporting from the scene, Gary Meyer said that the pile of powder “looks like it has been placed in the street.” It is about 12 inches in diameter and about 8 inches high.

The HazMat team is currently setting up to test the material. They do not yet know how long it will take to determine what the substance is. The pile is at the intersection of Lebec Oaks Road and Louise.

LEBEC, CA (Friday, June 24, 2016 at 8:34 a.m.)—Los Padres Estates resident Jim Stoughton reported that an unknown white powder has been dropped on Lebec Oaks Road, leading Kern County Fire firefighters and a sheriff deputy to block off traffic while awaiting the arrival of a Hazmat unit from Bakersfield. We have a reporter at the scene, who says that about two blocks are blocked off, with Canyon Drive at the bottom. Watch for updates to this report.

This is part of the June 24, 2016 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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