Hazmat Team Investigates Potential Chemical Spill at John Wayne Airport

The Orange County Fire Authority was investigating a potential chemical spill at John Wayne Airport, after a liquid substance leaked from something in the cargo area of a passenger plane on Friday afternoon, Feb. 25, officials said.

At around 12:25 p.m., firefighters responded to an American Airlines flight from Chicago that landed at John Wayne Airport after three employees unloading cargo from the plane reported the liquid, said Marisa Unvert, an airport spokeswoman. A Fire Authority hazmat team was working to determine what the substance was, she said.

The three employees were evaluated by firefighters and did not display any symptoms, OCFA Capt. Greg Barta said. They were not taken to the hospital.

Initial reports indicated the three employees might have had some mild irritation from the substance, but after evaluating them, they showed no signs of that, Barta added.

No passengers or other employees were affected, Unvert said.

Airport operations were not impacted, either, though the American Airlines plane was delayed for its return flight to Chicago, Unvert said. The plane was still at John Wayne Airport as of 1:50 p.m., she said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.