On Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 4:11 PM, 6 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team and the LAFD Medical Director, a total of 51 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Terrance Manning, responded to a Hazardous Materials Investigation at 300 North Los Angeles Street in the Los Angeles Civic Center.

Firefighters arrived quickly to reports of an irritating odor on or near the 7th floor of an 8 story federal office building. A rapid extraction and medical assessment of those in the immediate area identified 7 persons with minor respiratory irritation.

As those with symptoms were swiftly identified and segregated from coworkers, firefighters isolated the ventilation system on the 7th floor, and guided the calm and orderly self evacuation of dozens of others from the building.

Working swiftly, Los Angeles Department of Transportation officers closed Los Angeles Street to all vehicle traffic between Aliso and Temple Streets, while the California Highway Patrol was summoned to close the Los Angeles Street offramp from the southbound Hollywood (101) Freeway.

Los Angeles Police established a simultaneous perimeter, carefully detouring pedestrians and bicyclists from the popular Civic Center thoroughfare, used prominently to access nearby Union Station.

Subsequent to full building evacuation, 10 additional persons stated a need for medical evaluation, bringing the total patient count to 17. The LAFD Medical Director joined firefighter/paramedics in the triage area, and was soon able to advise and release all 17 patients from the scene.

With key building systems secured, LAFD HazMat-trained firefighters donned protective gear and began a comprehensive sweep of the building with sophisticated sensing devices. They discovered no immediate or escalating hazard, and formally categorized the dissipated odor as "undetermined".

Working closely with the Building Engineer, firefighters strategically restored the building's ventilation system to fully exhaust air from the structure, at what proved to be the close of a business day.

Pursuant of protocol, the scene was turned over to on-site Federal Law Enforcement Officers.