9 people hospitalized after chemical exposure at Warwick shopping center

Nine people were taken to the hospital and several businesses were evacuated after chemical exposure in Warwick, R.I., officials said.

The Warwick Fire Department was called to Oak Street Health at 300 Quaker Lane around 10:30 a.m. Thursday for reports of people inside who had become ill, said Warwick Fire Department Chief Peter K. McMichael, during a press conference recorded by ABC 6.

McMichael said nine people were experiencing nausea and vomiting when first responders arrived and were taken to the hospital in non-life-threatening condition.

The incident was likely caused by a chemical entering the sewer system and spreading into the mall’s stores, according to McMichael.

“Someone who was cleaning last night may have mixed two types of chemicals that may have created fumes that remained in the building overnight,” McMichael said. Staff were then exposed to the fumes when they arrived for work and began experiencing symptoms an hour later, he added.

Most of the mall’s buildings were evacuated while firefighters flushed and ventilated the building, McMichael said. All people with symptoms were inside Oak Street Health.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management also responded to the scene, WJAR reported.