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Updated at 5:36 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2015

Officers checking on a man’s welfare at an Alhambra apartment complex found what turned out to be a methamphetamine lab inside the unit and evacuated two buildings while hazardous-materials crews responded.

Officers went to the apartment at 110 N. Chapel Ave. about 2:10 p.m. after the building manager asked them to check on a resident, Alhambra police Sgt. Jerry Johnson said.

The man was not home, but officers found “kettles” containing “strange-smelling liquids” and “cans of acetone” and called in the fire department, Johnson said.

The building was evacuated along with a second apartment building, separated from the first by only a driveway, and Chapel was closed between Main and Elgin streets, the sergeant said.

A hazmat crew arrived at the scene about 4 p.m. to investigate, he said.

Shortly before 5 p.m., crews determined the chemicals were being used to manufacture methamphetamine and a state Department of Justice team specializing in cleaning up such sites was summoned, Johnson said, adding that a criminal investigation has been launched.

It was unclear how long the cleanup would take.

“They can take six, eight, 10 hours, depending on how much stuff was found inside,” Johnson said.

The Red Cross was set up adjacent to the evacuated buildings to assist displaced residents, he said.

— City News Service

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