Vancouver business evacuated after accidental chemical mixture creates hazmat situation

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KPTV) - Several people potentially inhaled toxic vapors at a packing plant before the building was evacuated by a hazmat crew in Vancouver on Tuesday.

According to the Vancouver Fire Department, the employees were potentially exposed when two acids were accidentally mixed in the same storage container at Northwest Packing at West 16th Street.

Twelve employees in total who were in the area of the chemical mixture were evacuated outside the building and evaluated by medical personnel before being released. The fire department said in a statement that all of the employees refused to be taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

The VFD HazMat team donned chemical suits and entered the building to check for excessive heat of the combined chemicals, ensure the integrity of the container, and shut down several plant operations that could not safely continue unmanned.