Berkeley hazmat: Picric acid destroyed; marina re-opens

Update, 3:45 p.m. Seawall Drive and Shorebird Park in the Berkeley Marina have re-opened after authorities destroyed hazardous materials with a small explosion Monday afternoon.

The blast — a sharp boom — sent a plume of smoke into the air at about 2:30 p.m. It quickly dispersed. Police and firefighters left the area a short time.

Community members quickly returned to the park and popular parking strip overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Within minutes, there was no sign of the operation that had just concluded.

The explosion was part of a hazmat operation Monday in Berkeley that began at a home on Colusa Avenue where photo chemicals had been stored for decades.

Berkeley police removed and destroyed the most volatile chemical during the operation at the marina.

As of publication time, firefighters were still working to remove other material from the home, but appeared to be wrapping up.

Berkeley police and firefighters arrived at the marina shortly before 2 p.m. with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office bomb team.

Police and Berkeley parks staff had already cleared community members out of the area for their safety beginning shortly before noon.

Authorities transported the picric acid in a “single vent” container used to contain blasts, police said.

As bomb technicians prepared the chemicals for destruction, a flock of wild turkeys roamed through the typically busy area while chipmunks and squirrels scampered around.

Throughout the morning, several sea lions fished in the water not far from shore, at one point following a swimmer near the shuttered Berkeley pier.

This story will be updated if additional details become available.

Original story: Police plan to dispose of “hazardous and potentially volatile materials” in an empty parking lot at the Berkeley Marina after removing them from a local home Monday.

Authorities have asked community members to “avoid the parking lot in the Berkeley Marina at 199 Seawall Drive as well as Shorebird Park.”

In a 12:30 p.m. Nixle alert, the city said the parking lot and popular park would be closed for a period of time during the operation.

“Emergency personnel will use the empty parking lot to dispose of hazardous and potentially volatile materials,” the city said.

Over the past hour, police officers and park staff have been working to clear the area of community members who had come to fish and enjoy the view.

The Scanner broke the news Monday morning about the developing hazmat operation. Stay tuned for updates.

Berkeley hazmat: Shelter-in-place order on Colusa Avenue

Residents within a block of Colusa and Tacoma avenues “should prepare to be out of the area or inside your home for at least the entire day.”

The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso