Officials hoped to put out the fires later Tuesday evening. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG), Debris of firework shell casings are seen on a roof of a shed near a home where a massive explosion took place in Ontario on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. people injured in barn fire in Jurupa Valley Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital. Out of an abundance of caution, students and staff were evacuated from Mead Valley Elementary School due to the chemical spill. Get top headlines from the Union-Tribune in your inbox weekday mornings, including top news, local, sports, business, entertainment and opinion. Temecula 'Booms, Explosions' Continue To All rights reserved. A Philadelphia native, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in medical anthropology and global health. The 215 Freeway is closed in both directions between Van Buren Boulevard to the north and the Ramona Expressway/Cajalco Road to the south. A chemical leak in Riverside County forced an evacuation as officials initially feared a possible explosion. It's also found naturally in some plants. The first blast sent up a huge fireball, sending up a towering column of smoke that could be seen in cities as far away as Anaheim and Riverside. The evacuation zone extended a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) in all directions and included 170 residences. Officials issued an evacuation warning to another928 homes in the area later in the day, according to Jeff LaRusso, a county fire public information officer. in Riverside Ontario police, along with the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and California State Fire Marshal, will conduct investigations into the explosion, including a criminal probe. A rail car leaking chemicals in Riverside County, California, on Friday has prompted officials there toevacuate nearly 200 homes over concerns that a "violent explosion" could occur at any moment. Get details from Significant Incidents or request an Incident Report. Todays Highlight in History: On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen-filled German Officials say at least 170 homes have been evacuated so far within a half-mile radius of the leak. The tank car was parked on a spur off a main rail line along Interstate 215 in Riverside County, about 57 miles (92 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. A chemical leak from a railroad tanker-train carled officials in Southern California on Friday to temporarily shut down a major freeway and evacuate more than 100homesamid fears of an explosion. Javier Galvez, a 73-year-old Upland resident, was driving on Francis Street near Mountain Avenue when he felt an impact on his car. Evacuation orders were lifted in Riverside County on Saturday morning after a chemical reaction inside a rail car parked on private property had threatened to cause an explosion, forcing people from their homes two days before. Around 7:40 p.m. Thursday night, Cal Fire Riverside County got a call about the chemical leak, when someone discovered a large plume of smoke coming from a rail car.