Local news in Brief : Orange : False Alarm Causes Hospital Evacuation
A false alarm about “toxic fumes” in a hospital closet caused the temporary evacuation of about 35 patients on the fourth floor of St. Josepth Hospital on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
No one was hurt, and the 2-hour evacuation of the fourth floor in two wings was orderly and without incident, hospital spokesman Dennis Gaschen said.
“It was a false alarm and the incident lasted about 2 hours,” Gaschen said. “A housekeeper thought she smelled something in a closet. The (Orange County) Hazardous Materials Team came and found nothing. Perhaps the woman smelled a cleaning solvent.”
According to a Fire Department official, the report about a possible toxic incident came at 12:50 p.m. Orange police, as well as the county’s Hazardous Materials Team, responded to the call, Gaschen said.
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