Source of Respiratory Irritant in Williamstown Remains a Mystery
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Authorities are still investigating an incident that caused minor respiratory irritation on Sunday at First Congregational Church.
The incident occurred during the "free" phase of the church's multi-day tag sale and caused 28 people to be evaluated by emergency medical services personnel at the scene.
No one was transported to the hospital as a result of the exposure.
On Tuesday afternoon, Williamstown's fire chief said the exact source of the irritation remains unknown.
"We can only speculate since no actual product container was found on scene, but the chemicals identified by the state hazmat team were consistent with the chemicals used in personal defense spray," Chief Jeffrey Dias said.
Dias added that the mass casualty incident remains "an ongoing investigation."
The church rescheduled the end of its tag sale for Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
Tags: hazmat,
