9 people taken to the hospital after chemical exposure at Rhode Island strip mall

Nine people were taken to the hospital and several businesses were evacuated after a chemical exposure in Warwick, R.I., officials said.

The Warwick Fire Department was called to Oak Street Health at 300 Quaker Lane at approximately 10:30 a.m. Thursday for reports of people inside becoming sick, Warwick Fire Department Chief Peter K. McMichael said in a press conference recorded by ABC 6. 

McMichael said nine people were feeling nauseous and vomiting when first responders arrived and were taken to the hospital in non-life-threatening condition.

The incident was likely caused by a chemical entering the sewer system and spreading through the stores in the strip mall, according to McMichael. 

“Someone that was cleaning last night possibly mixed two types of chemicals that may have created some fumes that stayed in the building overnight,” McMichael said. Staff were then exposed to the fumes when they came into work and started experiencing symptoms an hour later, he added. 

Most buildings in the strip mall were evacuated while the fire department flushed and ventilated the building, McMichael said. All of the people who displayed symptoms were inside Oak Street Health.

Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management also responded to the scene, WJAR reported.