Fire Department Fights Brown Recluse Spiders After 2 Bitten

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama fire department is fighting a different kind of battle after two firefighters were bitten by poisonous spiders.

Capt. Frank McKenzie of Huntsville Fire and Rescue tells WHNT-TV that two firefighters working at the department's Station 17 have been bitten by brown recluse spiders.

He says the agency has moved fire crews, their equipment and personal items to another station, and the station was sprayed for pests.

McKenzie says firefighters plan to resume working at Station 17 on Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says brown recluse spiders typically stay hidden in sheltered areas. The venom from their bites kills tissue, causing large lesions that often require medical treatment.

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