A fire at a swimming pool company spewed a cloud of gas over this desert resort, forcing the evacuation of several hundred residents Friday evening and the closing of an airport, officials said.
One firefighter was hospitalized after breathing the gas, but there were no other injuries reported, said city spokeswoman Ann Erdman.The gas, apparently a combination of pool cleaning and treatment chemicals, spread from a warehouse at Ocean Pools during a fire that broke out about 5:30 p.m., Ms. Erdman said.
Chlorine, a common pool chemical is hazardous, and other chemicals used in pools include acids.
The cloud spread over a neighborhood of upper-middle-class homes and people were evacuated from an area about one-half mile square, she said.
"It's smack in the middle of Palm Springs," Ms. Erdman said, adding that the evacuated area included homes and a few businesses, but none of the city's hotels.