A federal hazardous materials investigation at a luxury home in Irvine that triggered a massive law enforcement response this week apparently was heightened by formulas that were discovered written on a whiteboard.
A source with knowledge of the investigation said Friday the case involved a University of California student. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said authorities searching the house found chemical equations written on a whiteboard that concerned the FBI, which brought in experts from headquarters in Quantico, Va.
The landlord of the home in Altair, a guard-gated community of multimillion-dollar homes near the Great Park, called Irvine police on Monday afternoon, Feb. 23 to alert them to suspicious items, according to the Irvine Police Department.
Law enforcement officials have been out at the home, on Cartwheel near Iluna, since then, with a tent set up in the street so investigators could evaluate various items. Even a National Guard team reportedly specializing in weapons of mass destruction was sent to the home, according to broadcast reports.
On Thursday, Irvine police issued a statement saying the situation began “after a juvenile at the residence mixed unknown chemicals.” Investigators were analyzing the substances, police said.
But officials have said little else.
Irvine Vice Mayor James Mai said he knew nothing more than the vague accounts released to the public.
“My concerns are for the health and wellness of these individuals,” Mai said on Friday, referring to those living in the community. “Who knows what’s in there?”
If a student was just mixing chemicals, he figured, authorities would not have investigators out there for days.
Officials at UCI said they knew nothing about the investigation.
No nearby residents were evacuated as of Thursday, when multiple black trash bags and brown cardboard boxes sat on the curb in front of the home.
The community has large houses separated from the street by manicured lawns and is across the street from Portola High School.
FBI hazmat team descends on homemade science lab at luxury Irvine house