6 Hospitalized After Fire Sends Fumes Through Shopping Center
Six people were hospitalized Wednesday after a fire in a trash container poured acidic smoke into a Canyon Country shopping center, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
None of the symptoms were considered serious and the six patients were expected to be released from the hospital Wednesday evening, hospital officials said.
About 200 people were evacuated from the Soledad Canyon Center on Soledad Canyon Road after the fire erupted about 1:30 p.m. in an alley behind an electronics store, Battalion Chief Floyd Hoffman said.
Five people, including at least one who lives in an apartment building across the alley, were taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia after complaining of burning eyes, itchy skin and sore throats, officials said.
A firefighter was hospitalized for heat exhaustion, Hoffman said. Seven other people were treated at the shopping center but were not expected to be hospitalized, officials said.
Los Angeles County health officials were trying to determine what type of chemical was responsible. Hoffman said preliminary tests showed that the chemical was a hazardous acid.
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