Editing Santa Paula, California (section)

==== Cause ====
About {{convert|1000|USgal|l impgal|}} of a chemical mixture consisted of some sort of [[organic peroxide]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Von Quednow |first=Cindy |date=November 19, 2014 |url=http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/santa-paula/officials-hope-to-identify-chemical-in-santa-paula-explosion-clean-up-scene_53863252 |title=Officials work to identify, clean up chemical in Santa Paula explosion |newspaper=[[Ventura County Star]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223032329/http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/santa-paula/officials-hope-to-identify-chemical-in-santa-paula-explosion-clean-up-scene_53863252|archive-date=December 23, 2014}}</ref> Three weeks after the incident, the substance was still highly susceptible to friction and seemed to react to something as slight as wind.<ref name=Cleanup>Wilson, Kathleen (December 5, 2014) [http://www.vcstar.com/news/environment/cleanup-of-spill-slow-as-county-shuts-plant-indefinitely_47200796 "Cleanup of spill slow as county shuts plant indefinitely"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324060659/http://www.vcstar.com/news/environment/cleanup-of-spill-slow-as-county-shuts-plant-indefinitely_47200796 |date=March 24, 2015 }} ''[[Ventura County Star]]''</ref> [[Sodium chlorite]] was identified in an internal investigation by the firm in the months following the disaster. They claimed that the chemical was being using as a water treatment agent for the first time and was stored in the same type of storage container as wastewater.<ref name=Accidental/>{{dead link|date=May 2017}} The worker combined the chemical with wastewater in the vacuum truck where the chemical interacting with [[organic material]] caused an explosion that blew off the back of the truck. A former county district attorney, retained by a company attorney, issued a report in March 2015 that provided an explanation of events indicating that the worker may have accidentally combined the chemicals.<ref name=Accidental>{{cite news|url=http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/santa-paula/accidental-mixture-led-to-blast-former-da-says_48779880|title=Accidental mixture led to blast, former DA says|first=Kathleen|last=Wilson|work=[[Ventura County Star]]|date=March 3, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150306192718/http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/santa-paula/accidental-mixture-led-to-blast-former-da-says_48779880|archive-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Chemical>Wilson, Kathleen (February 9, 2015) [http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/county-news/chemical-that-triggered-santa-paula-blast-identified_47049879 "Chemical that triggered Santa Paula blast identified"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211084120/http://www.vcstar.com/news/local-news/county-news/chemical-that-triggered-santa-paula-blast-identified_47049879 |date=February 11, 2015 }}  ''[[Ventura County Star]]''</ref> Later, investigators found that an inspection by a [[Defense Logistics Agency]] contractor was scheduled for that morning and officials of the firm had directed the transfer of these hazardous materials to another location.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ccjdigital.com/crime-report-third-party-cdl-tester-convicted-drug-testing-firm-shut-down/|title=Crime report: Eleven indicted after explosion of vacuum cargo tank trailer|work=Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) Online|publisher=Randall-Reilly|location=Tuscaloosa, AL|first=Matt|last=Cole|date=September 8, 2015|access-date=September 9, 2015|archive-date=September 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929021100/http://www.ccjdigital.com/crime-report-third-party-cdl-tester-convicted-drug-testing-firm-shut-down/|url-status=live}}</ref>