Whitman Fire Responds to Tier One HazMat Incident

WHITMAN — Fire Chief Timothy Grenno reports that the Whitman Fire Department responded to a Tier One HazMat incident today at a local hair salon—the result of a chemical mixture.

At 5:29 p.m. today a woman presented at the Whitman Fire Department complaining of an illness release to exposure to toxic chemicals. The woman, an employee of Eugene Hair Salon located at 23 Temple Street, explained that at around 2 p.m. she had poured Drano and another brand of drain cleaner into the sinks at work, which had resulted in a chemical reaction that sent fumes throughout the store. Following the incident, the employee had a physical reaction, including coughing and a burning sensation in her throat. She left the premises but the symptoms continued to increase. The patient was transported with non-life threatening injures to Brockton Hospital.

Whitman Fire Department immediately responded to the location to investigate and identified four sinks that had a foam residue in them, as well as a toxic odor in the building. A Tier One HazMat incident was declared and the District One State Hazardous Materials Team was brought in to assist with the clean up.

Specialized equipment was used to identify the chemicals and the resulting reactions so a clean up protocol could be established. The situation was mitigated in approximately one hour and was cleared for occupancy.

There was one tenant at home on the second floor during the incident who had no complaints or illness due to the HazMat incident one story below.

“Thankfully no one was severely injured as a result of this incident, and the building is now safe,” said Chief Grenno. “Thank you to the District One State Hazardous Materials Team for their expertise on this scene.”

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