An accidental spray of Mace forced the evacuation of a South Jordan LDS meetinghouse Sunday, sending churchgoers into the cold.
A girl and some friends were playing with a bottle of pepper Mace, used for self-protection, when the safety released and the material accidentally sprayed in the hallway of a church at 1570 W. 11400 South about 12:30 p.m., South Jordan fire Capt. Ron Fullmer said."It shot in the hallway, and it got into the chapel area and that's where everybody started feeling the effects," Fullmer said. Fire officials first evacuated more than 200 people from the chapel, filled to capacity for a missionary farewell, then evacuated the rest of the building when others complained of a tightness in their chests, Fullmer said.
Not feeling the effects of the Mace, the girl and her friends had left the church and later returned. After realizing the serverity of the situation, "they didn't even want the bottle back," Fullmer said. There were no serious injuries from the incident.