Fairfield Garage Fire Sends 5 First-Responders to Hospital

FAIRFIELD (CBS SF) -- A shelter-in-place order for residents of a Fairfield neighborhood near a home fire that emitted hazardous fumes was lifted late Saturday night, according to police.

The order was lifted after 11 p.m. Saturday after fire crews battled a fire Saturday evening that destroyed a garage at 1732 Ashtree Court in Cordelia, a southern suburb of Fairfield, police said. Ashtree Court and Fawn Glen Circle, along with Canyon Hills Drive near Ashtree Court were closed to through traffic for most of the evening.

The garage contained approximately 200 pounds of lithium-ion batteries, police said, and fluoride gas was emitted shortly after crews started to fight the blaze just after 5 p.m. Saturday.

Three Fairfield firefighters and one Fairfield police officer were hospitalized Saturday evening for exposure to fluoride gas. The Solano County Hazardous Materials Response Team was dispatched to the scene. The batteries stored in the garage started to emit fluoride gas after being exposed to fire and water.

A fourth Fairfield firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment of a back injury suffered while fighting the blaze.

Police advised anyone in the area who experiences shortness of breath, a scratchy throat or itchy skin should go to a hospital emergency room.

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