By Brian Hews
Southern California Edison has confirmed that about 300 employees at its Long Beach Call Center were forced to be evacuated after “a strong odor was detected in the building” on Monday morning at around 11:45 a.m.
Company officials confirmed to Hews Media Group – Community News that six employees were transported to area hospitals and 20 others are being treated on scene for symptoms, including nausea and headaches. The building is located at 150 Elm Avenue near Broadway.
“The cause of the odor is not yet known. The remaining employees were evacuated to a parking lot staging area,” a spokesperson for Edison said.
“The Long Beach Fire Department sent a hazmat crew into the building to assess the situation and do an air analysis,” the spokesman said.
“Customer service calls from the center are being re-routed to other SCE service centers. Safety is a top priority for SCE, which is working with the fire department, police and paramedics at the scene,” the spokesperson stressed.
Edison International Company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
