Hazmat Situation Sickens Workers

Workers at Pacific Steel and Recycling in north Spokane accidentally punctured a barrel Wednesday morning, releasing a yellow vapor plume that sickened workers there and at a nearby city building, police and fire officials said. Nearly 100 firefighters and paramedics responded to Pacific Steel, 1114 N. Ralph St., where hazmat crews hosed workers off. By 11 a.m., about half a dozen ambulances had left to take workers to the hospital for further evaluation. Police were asking people to avoid a four-block radius around the company. Spokane police spokeswoman Ofc. Teresa Fuller said the substance in the barrel was still unknown. City workers at 901 N. Nelson St. were still being evaluated by paramedics and firefighters early Wednesday afternoon. The building houses mostly street department workers. Fuller said as of 1 p.m., responders were still evaluating about 20 patients from the city building and 8 from Pacific Steel. Additional support from the Northern Lakes Fire District in Kootenai County and a Fairchild Air Force Base hazmat team were also on scene/ Rachel Alexander , SR. More here. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)