2 Aurora Firefighters Hurt During Hazardous Materials Incident Thursday

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NBC

Authorities in suburban Aurora say that two firefighters suffered injuries while responding to a hazardous materials incident on Thursday morning.

According to fire officials, firefighters were called to a building in the 600 block of West Illinois for an odor investigation. Employees reported that two chemicals had been accidentally mixed at the location, which created a vapor cloud that filled the room.

One employee that was in the room at the time was able to escape safely, while 50 other workers also evacuated the facility without incident.

Ultimately two firefighters, both of whom were wearing protective clothing and using SCBA bottled oxygen entered the area, and immediately felt a burning sensation around their mask seals.

They backed out of the facility, and were taken to a local hospital for observation and treatment for minor injuries.

The situation was upgraded to a Level III hazardous materials incident, and when hazmat technicians entered the building, they found that the incident had been contained and that the chemical reaction had stopped.

The building was then ventilated and turned back over to management, who said they would keep the facility closed while an investigation into the incident was initiated.

There was no threat to the public during the incident, and no one else was injured, according to fire officials.

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