Chapel Hill police and fire, plus a regional hazardous materials team,
plan how to clean up corrosive paint cleaner that was spread Tuesday,
July 7, 2015, at the PineGate Apartments in Chapel Hill, NC. Emergency
officials got calls Wednesday morning, July 8, about a strong chemical
odor in the area and found residents and pets at the complex with
chemical burns from the material.
|
Tammy Grubb tgrubb@newsobserver.com
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA
Six people and three pets were treated for burns Wednesday after a
Chapel Hill apartment complex’s stairwells were treated with a corrosive
paint remover.
Officials decided late Wednesday afternoon to let the management company at PineGate Apartments arrange for evacuation and professional cleaning of the affected areas.
The complex is owned by the GSC property management company, which was moving residents to other apartments and hotel rooms, said Shannon Brummett, GSC representative. Anyone who might have come into contact with the chemical was advised to contact the management office immediately.
PineGate resident Zearyab Hassan said his and his girlfriend’s Rottweiler Hazel was exposed Tuesday, after the paint remover was spread across the concrete surface of exterior stairwells in 11 buildings.
Roughly 128 units were affected in about half the buildings on the premises, Chapel Hill Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Edwards said. By early evening one of the affected buildings had been cleaned.
Emergency officials kept their distance throughout the day – and warned others to stay away – to avoid breathing in the fumes. A Chapel Hill police officer patrolling the area said standing too close would cause eye burns.
The incident started at 7:36 a.m. Wednesday when emergency officials received calls about a strong odor, Edwards said. The complex is located off Eastowne Drive in eastern Chapel Hill. The base of the stairwells still shined with a thick coat of the paint remover Wednesday afternoon, while local officials worked with the N.C. State Regional HazMat Team, based in Raleigh, to come up with a cleanup plan.
“The chemical was applied without caution to residents for restricted use of the areas,” a town news release stated. Edwards said she did not know the contractor’s name or have additional information about what went wrong.
The chemical was capable of corroding the shoes of anyone who walked on it, officials said. An unidentified resident who brought a young boy to be checked out for burns to his ankles told emergency officials that a neighbor slipped Tuesday on the sticky surface and hit her head.
One person who slipped suffered chemical burns to the hands and knees, Edwards said, but she could not confirm if that person was the woman who hit her head.
Orange County Animal Control also responded to treat a resident’s dog for chemical burns to the pads of its paws.
Exposure to the chemical left the dog with ulcers on her tongue and a swollen throat, Hassan said. The veterinarian gave him painkillers for Hazel and advised feeding her cool green tea with honey and Maalox to help her throat and stomach.
The next 48 hours will be critical for finding out if there’s any internal damage, Hassan said. The toughest part is seeing Hazel in pain, he said.
“I hope nothing bad happens, because that’s actually my first dog,” he said.
Management posted fliers two days ago warning residents that the surfaces would be slippery and that the complex and the contractor were not responsible for accidents, residents said. Hassan, who has lived at PineGate for seven years, said he contacted the manager Tuesday to find out how to take his dog outside.
The woman with whom he spoke told him to tape plastic bags to the dog’s feet, he said, but the chemical burned through it. Hazel’s feet are OK, he said, but she slipped and accidentally ingested the chemical.
Hassan, who is an Orange County Schools employee and out of work now because of summer break, isn’t sure how he will be able to pay the vet bill, plus rent and everything else. He expects the dog’s care to cost nearly $1,000 in the end; management should cover it, he said.
“Why would you leave something that dangerous overnight and tell people they can’t come out of their apartments,” he said.
Officials decided late Wednesday afternoon to let the management company at PineGate Apartments arrange for evacuation and professional cleaning of the affected areas.
The complex is owned by the GSC property management company, which was moving residents to other apartments and hotel rooms, said Shannon Brummett, GSC representative. Anyone who might have come into contact with the chemical was advised to contact the management office immediately.
PineGate resident Zearyab Hassan said his and his girlfriend’s Rottweiler Hazel was exposed Tuesday, after the paint remover was spread across the concrete surface of exterior stairwells in 11 buildings.
Roughly 128 units were affected in about half the buildings on the premises, Chapel Hill Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Edwards said. By early evening one of the affected buildings had been cleaned.
Emergency officials kept their distance throughout the day – and warned others to stay away – to avoid breathing in the fumes. A Chapel Hill police officer patrolling the area said standing too close would cause eye burns.
The incident started at 7:36 a.m. Wednesday when emergency officials received calls about a strong odor, Edwards said. The complex is located off Eastowne Drive in eastern Chapel Hill. The base of the stairwells still shined with a thick coat of the paint remover Wednesday afternoon, while local officials worked with the N.C. State Regional HazMat Team, based in Raleigh, to come up with a cleanup plan.
“The chemical was applied without caution to residents for restricted use of the areas,” a town news release stated. Edwards said she did not know the contractor’s name or have additional information about what went wrong.
The chemical was capable of corroding the shoes of anyone who walked on it, officials said. An unidentified resident who brought a young boy to be checked out for burns to his ankles told emergency officials that a neighbor slipped Tuesday on the sticky surface and hit her head.
One person who slipped suffered chemical burns to the hands and knees, Edwards said, but she could not confirm if that person was the woman who hit her head.
Orange County Animal Control also responded to treat a resident’s dog for chemical burns to the pads of its paws.
Foaming at mouth
Hassan said he went back in his apartment Wednesday morning, despite police warnings against it, to get Hazel and take her to Triangle Veterinary Hospital in Durham. She was foaming at the mouth Tuesday night, he said, and was not able to keep water down, although she did eat a little food.Exposure to the chemical left the dog with ulcers on her tongue and a swollen throat, Hassan said. The veterinarian gave him painkillers for Hazel and advised feeding her cool green tea with honey and Maalox to help her throat and stomach.
The next 48 hours will be critical for finding out if there’s any internal damage, Hassan said. The toughest part is seeing Hazel in pain, he said.
“I hope nothing bad happens, because that’s actually my first dog,” he said.
Management posted fliers two days ago warning residents that the surfaces would be slippery and that the complex and the contractor were not responsible for accidents, residents said. Hassan, who has lived at PineGate for seven years, said he contacted the manager Tuesday to find out how to take his dog outside.
The woman with whom he spoke told him to tape plastic bags to the dog’s feet, he said, but the chemical burned through it. Hazel’s feet are OK, he said, but she slipped and accidentally ingested the chemical.
Hassan, who is an Orange County Schools employee and out of work now because of summer break, isn’t sure how he will be able to pay the vet bill, plus rent and everything else. He expects the dog’s care to cost nearly $1,000 in the end; management should cover it, he said.
“Why would you leave something that dangerous overnight and tell people they can’t come out of their apartments,” he said.