By Preston Thue
Staff Writer
A nearly 6.8-mile stretch from 34th Street in Manhattan Beach to Longfellow Avenue in Hermosa Beach was closed to the public yesterday after an oil substance washed up on the shores.
The source of the oil is unknown, however the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife suspect it to be a result of an oil spill. Officials gathered samples last night for further testing and investigation.
“The coast guard receieved a report of a substance on the beach in the afternoon,” U.S. Coast Guard Michael Anderson said. “Right now, our boat crews are investigating the oil and we have clean up crews working around the beach.”
The Department of Public Health will be testing the level of contamination in order to determine how long the beaches wil remain closed. According to officials, residents are advised to avoid contaminated water and wet sand for the duration of the investigation. Clean up crews will continue efforts for the next five to seven days.
“We sent out a helicopter and an investigation team to actually get on the beach, see what was going on,” Anderson said. “They took some samples of that substance, determined it was petroleum, and sent it to the lab to be fingerprinted.”
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