Charlie Breitrose
Members of a hazardous materials team collect items from a condo on Warren Street.
Residents of 109 Warren Street in Watertown were evacuated after a bad chemical smell was detected about 4 p.m. on Saturday and two firefighters went to hospital after having bad reactions.
The cause of the hazardous odor was household chemicals.
“After an investigation it was determined that the home owner had used a strong drain cleaner in the home and did not properly follow the manufacturer’s specifications, which led to the noxious odor,” said a release from the Watertown Police Department.
Two Watertown firefighters had an adverse reaction to the odor, and were taken to Mount Auburn Hospital for precautionary reason, according to the release. Both were evaluated and released.
Watertown Firefighter stand outside the building where a hazardous material was found Saturday. The ladder leads to the apartment where the chemical smell was detected
Resident Juan Contreras said he smelled a chemical coming from a neighbor’s apartment on the second floor of the building, which is part of the Chatham Condominiums.
“Another neighbor called the fire department,” Contreras said. “I told the firefighters that it didn’t smell too good.”
The woman who lived in the apartment where the smell came from was not home at the time, Contreras said.
After the Watertown Fire Department arrived, they evacuated the building, Contreras said. The Hazardous Materials Team was called in about 4:20 p.m.
Men in hazardous materials suits and with oxygen tanks could be seen entering the building shortly after 7 p.m. The hazmat team cleared the building at 8:20 p.m. and the residents were allowed to return to the building.
Charlie Breitrose
A member of the hazardous materials team who responded to Warren Street is helped out of his hazmat suit.