Smelly incident leads to temporary closure of local restaurant – Pasadena Now

A hazardous materials incident at a Chipotle restaurant in the 3400 block of E. Foothill Blvd. in East Pasadena on Wednesday proved to be less serious than initially thought, but shut down a local eatery for hours.

According to Lisa Derderian, spokeswoman for the Pasadena Fire Department, the incident, which occurred at 1:10 p.m., was initially reported as a hazardous materials accident.

Upon arrival, rescue workers found heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians on site working on the air treatment system.

“The smell that triggered the alarm was due to a lubricant used in the ventilation system,” Derderian explained. “It is believed that it entered the restaurant and caused the evacuation of employees.”

The incident only affected the stand-alone restaurant; no other businesses or residential buildings were affected.

Emergency services were on site for about an hour with support from the Burbank and Glendale fire departments.