Berkeley hazmat: Shelter-in-place issued for Colusa Ave.
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."
Local authorities coordinated throughout the weekend to determine how to dispose of hazardous materials that had been stored for years at a North Berkeley home.
The coordination involved not just Berkeley firefighters and police but neighboring agencies as well, The Scanner has learned.
On Monday morning, city officials advised residents "within a roughly one-block radius of the intersection of Colusa and Tacoma avenues" to "shelter in place or leave the area" by 10:30 a.m. "until an all-clear is posted."
Emilie Raguso
Authorities said "residents in this area … should prepare to be out of the area or inside your home for at least the entire day," adding: "To keep you, your household, and others safe, you will not be able to come and go."
On Friday, a resident on Colusa Avenue, north of Solano Avenue, called the city for advice about decades-old photography chemicals, including picric acid, that they wanted to get rid of, multiple sources told The Scanner.
Scroll down for the full advisory.
Picric acid was a concern because it becomes increasingly unstable as it ages — and can be explosive.
Authorities discussed removing the chemicals Friday, but ultimately required only the homeowners to leave until the situation was resolved, sources said.
Police then parked outside the affected home for days to ensure it was secure.
The potential threat level from the acid was initially compared to dynamite but later downgraded to something more like a pipe bomb.
In Monday's notice, the city said only that the photo lab chemicals had become "toxic, heat-sensitive, and volatile."
Over the weekend, after extensive consultation, Berkeley authorities ultimately made the decision to transport the picric acid away from the residential neighborhood to a safer location where it could be destroyed, sources said.
Other less volatile materials will be removed from the home throughout the day, police said.
The operation is set to take place Monday, with several evacuations expected on Colusa.
According to Monday's notice, posted shortly after 9 a.m., most residents in the area will be allowed to stay in their homes as long as they remain inside.
The city is coordinating directly with affected neighbors who need a different place to stay.
Thousand Oaks Elementary School, at 840 Colusa Ave., will not be affected Monday because it was already set to be closed for a planned staff development day, authorities said.
At 12:30 p.m., police advised community members to avoid Seawall Drive and Shorebird Park at the Berkeley Marina so the disposal could take place.
The original advisory appears below in full.
Shelter-in-place issued for North Berkeley neighborhood
Residents within a roughly one-block radius of the intersection of Colusa and Tacoma avenues in North Berkeley should shelter in place or leave the area no later than 10:30 a.m. Monday, January 26, 2026, until an all-clear is posted on the City’s emergency communications channels.
Residents in this area, which is visible on the City’s emergency map, should prepare to be out of the area or inside your home for at least the entire day.
This shelter in place order will keep residents safe as Berkeley Fire, Berkeley Police, and neighboring agencies protect the area and remove home photography lab chemicals that have become toxic, heat-sensitive, and volatile.
Ensure that you have signed up all phone numbers in your home for AC Alert, the City’s emergency alert system, which sends text and email updates. AC Alert will be used to send updates on this incident as well as the final all-clear message.
For residents in the area sheltering in place:
You’ll need to decide whether you’ll be inside your home or out of the area no later than 10:30 a.m. To keep you, your household, and others safe, you will not be able to come and go.
We are removing hazardous materials from a home. For your safety, once we get an all clear from our emergency crews, we will open this area to residents and others.
The City activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the emergency response across City departments and neighboring agencies.
This article was updated after publication due to the developing nature of events.
