Haz-Mat Situation Forces Evacuation At Oakridge Mall In San Jose
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- A hazardous materials incident at San Jose's Oakridge Mall was declared under control, a fire department spokesman said.
A moviegoer reported a hazardous vapor coming from cleaning materials in a bathroom at the movie theater on the second floor of the mall on Blossom Hill Road about 2 p.m., Capt. Mike Van Elgort, a spokesman for the fire department, said.
Firefighters responded and evacuated dozens of people from the entire second floor of the mall.
The lobby, which was closed to allow crews to clean up the product, was reopened about 4:45 p.m.
Van Elgort said cleaning products in the bathroom apparently combined to create a dangerous vapor. He said a member of the mall staff that was cleaning the bathroom accidentally poured an excessive amount of an over-the-counter cleaning product in a toilet or on the ground.
The moviegoer who reported the incident, a male adult, was transported to a hospital for minor respiratory injuries from the vapor. He had been released as of 5 p.m.
Santa Clara County and San Jose hazardous materials teams investigated and eliminated the hazard, Van Elgort said.
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