12 sent to hospital after inhaling irritant at Sanger Del Monte plant
SANGER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Twelve people were taken to the hospital to be treated after inhaling some sort of irritant at a fruit processing plant in Sanger on Friday.
Firefighters first responded to the Del Monte plant on Academy and North around 1:30 p.m. The call initially was for an ammonia leak.
All 170 employees quickly rushed out of the building as many began to feel sick. First responders quickly treated dozens of people. Firefighters say 40 people were treated and released at the scene, and 12 others were sent to the hospital to see a doctor after complaining of shortness of breath.
Hazmat crews say the irritant in the air was traced to a break room in the processing plant. They don't believe what caused the workers to get sick was a chemical. The only thing firefighters could find was some sort of pepper scent. What that pepper smell was, and where it came from, is still unknown.
"At this point we feel that it must have been some type of external source. We don't feel that it was caused inside the plant at this point," said Chief Greg Tarascou with the Sanger Fire Department.
Hazmat crews from the Fresno Fire Department assisted Sanger fire crews. Firefighters spent several hours airing out the facility. The processing plant remained closed Friday night.
Fire crews say the main reason they and the managers at the processing plant sent the workers home was because of the heat. Some employees began to show heat-illness symptoms.
The incident prompted road closures in the area. All roads were reopened a few hours later.
