DUBLIN, Ga. — Dublin's Best Buy warehouse was evacuated after more than 20 people Thursday complained of eye, nose, and throat irritation. One of those people was hospitalized, and authorities say it may have been caused by a hazardous material leak.
According to Dublin Fire Chief Matthew Cutler, the 911 call came in about 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning. He says the cause of the problem could be lithium ion batteries that leaked and released a powdered substance.
"Had multiple people complaining of irritation to the eyes, throat, and some were having difficulty breathing," Cutler said.
He says at least 20 people complained of problems, and one of them was sent to Fairview Park hospital.
"If multiple people are experiencing the same thing -- whether it's a sudden onset of headache or eye irritation or whatever -- definitely call 911," Cutler said.
The warehouse was evacuated and the Laurens County hazmat team arrived to help the fire department with decontamination.
"The majority of the symptoms went away once they were out in the fresh air, outside of the building," Cutler said.
Two Laurens County EMS units responded for potential patients. They said they had no idea how many people were going to need care.
"From what we are understanding, the system had some type of controllers that had some type of lithium ion batteries, so it doesn't appear anything intentional," Cutler said.
Best Buy sent 13WMAZ the following statement:
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our employees. As soon as we learned of the issue, we immediately evacuated the facility and contacted local authorities. We are working with local emergency responders to investigate the cause of the issue and the facility will remain closed today."
Cutler also added that their primary goal when something like this happens is to protect themselves the best they can, but at the same time, get those victims out as fast as they can and make sure everyone is safe.
OSHA, the federal agency that oversees workplace safety, has begun an investigation into the incident.