An FBI hazardous materials team and multiple federal and local agencies have been investigating a homemade science lab discovered inside a rented luxury home in Irvine, a response that has stretched across several days and drawn significant attention to one of Orange County’s most exclusive neighborhoods.
According to the Orange County Register, the landlord of the home in Altair — a guard-gated community of multimillion-dollar homes near the Great Park — called Irvine police on Monday after spotting suspicious items inside the property, which sits on Cartwheel near Iluna. Irvine police then summoned the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), which later requested FBI involvement.
On Thursday, the Irvine Police Department issued a statement saying the situation began “after a juvenile at the residence mixed unknown chemicals.” Investigators are still analyzing the substances found inside the home.
A tented area, multiple unmarked trucks and trailers, Irvine Police Department vehicles, and OCFA SUVs were visible outside the property Thursday. Multiple black trash bags and brown cardboard boxes were seen sitting on the curb in front of the house.
As reported by ABC7, the FBI’s Evidence Response Team and Hazardous Evidence Response Team responded to the home at the request of the OCFA. Agents in full hazmat gear were seen entering and exiting the home, removing unknown items throughout the multi-day investigation.
Lourdes Arocho, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, confirmed the scope of the response. “The FBI continues to work this matter jointly with the Irvine Police Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department,” Arocho said. “There is no known threat to public safety.”
Neighbors, however, said the heavy law enforcement presence has been unsettling. Ahmed Bajwa, who lives across the street from the home, told KTLA that the situation escalated quickly. “Our driveway is blocked off,” he said. “There are FBI agents parked outside. It just escalated like crazy. The only thing that stayed the same is that they still can’t tell us anything.”
Bajwa said the family living in the home did not raise any red flags before authorities arrived. “The people who live there were just a family,” he said. “It wasn’t the type of house where people would come and go often. It wasn’t anything that fits what you would think this type of [law enforcement] response would justify.”
He also acknowledged the disconnect between official assurances and neighborhood anxiety. “Even though they tell you it’s safe, it doesn’t really inspire feelings of safety in the people who live there when they see people who are fully kitted out and walking into a house,” Bajwa said.
Neighbors also told KCBS Channel 2 that the National Guard appeared outside the home on Monday, with some personnel wearing shirts that read “Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team.”
No evacuations have been ordered in the surrounding area. The Altair community sits directly across the street from Portola High School. Residents were reportedly told that law enforcement would remain in the neighborhood through Saturday.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. The FBI has declined to provide additional details, citing the active nature of the case.
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