Fumes at Navy Base Cause Evacuation

About 100 naval base workers were evacuated Thursday after roofers left an open chemical container near an air vent and the fumes moved through an office building, officials said.

At about 11:15 a.m., several workers at the Port Hueneme Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center began complaining of nausea and headaches, base spokeswoman Jeanne Schick said.

Firefighters from the base, which is part of the Naval Construction Battalion Center, were called in and Building 1387 was evacuated, Schick said. Fire crews soon learned that naval base roofers had left patching material near a vent.

After airing out the building and taking air quality measurements, base officials allowed workers back in just before 2 p.m. No injuries were reported, Schick said. “It was more of an inconvenience than anything else,” she said.