Nine people were treated, including two transported to a local hospital, after an employee accidentally discharged a canister of bear repellent in a hotel room in the 19600 block of International Boulevard in SeaTac.
The Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority was dispatched to the hotel at about 10:30 a.m. Friday after employees reported that there was a possible chemical release that was making people gag and cough, according to a fire department media release. The hotel was evacuated as the smell got stronger and spread to several floors.
The call was treated as both a hazardous materials investigation because of an unknown substance, and as a mass casualty incident (MCI) due to the number of potential patients. MCI calls are classified by number of patients which automatically dispatches the correct number of medical units and ambulances.
All nine people examined and treated were hotel employees. Both people transported to a hospital were sent in as a precaution.
The staff member who found the canister of bear repellent did not know what it was and discharged the aerosol accidentlly.
The Kent Fire Department serves the cities of Kent, SeaTac and Covington as well as King County Fire District 37.
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