NORTH SMITHFIELD – Multiple police, fire and rescue vehicles were on the scene at Slatersville Plaza Monday afternoon after five people inside the store reportedly said they were feeling ill.
The store at 900 Victory Highway was temporarily closed and evacuated around 2 p.m. on Monday, July 1 and the Woonsocket Hazmat Team and the Emergency Regional Response Team, along with firefighters from North Smithfield Fire & Rescue Service as well as the North Providence Fire Department were on scene – with more vehicles continually arriving. During a brief downpour around 3 p.m. a contingency of emergency personnel could be seen taking shelter below an awning outside the store, including several in hazmat suits.
Soon after, firefighters could be seen on the roof of the building.
N.S. Fire Chief David Chartier told NRI NOW that his department was called to the store around 1:30 p.m. for reports that several employees were feeling ill, with five staff members experiencing dizziness, weakness and nausea.
“When we went into the building, we found that there was not any carbon monoxide in the building,” Chartier said.
All of the staff members complaining of symptoms, he noted, worked in the back of the store by the pharmacy area.
“We interviewed them to see if they came into contact with medication or anything like that,” the chief said.
Firefighters then went on the roof of the plaza and shut down the HVAC system to see if that may have been causing the problem. With other sources eliminated, Chartier said out of abundance of caution they called in the Hazmat team. The nearby liquor store was also evacuated as a precaution.
“As is protocol, any time they get activated, the decontamination team from North Providence has to come in as well,” Chartier said.
Crews on scene then focused in on some totes used for delivery of medications that were being put away just before the employees started feeling ill. Chartier said he believes the problem may have been causing be “off gassing,” from the totes, which may even have been caused by an ice pack.
“It’s nothing that we can totally put our finger on,” he said.
Chartier said that the store was ventilated and reopened, and the medication delivery company was contacted and made aware of the situation.
We got a call around 1:30 for a report of several emp at the Wal that were feeling ill. all in back pharmacy area.
