Chemical fumes strike 40 people

Photo / APN

More than 40 people from two Mangere hotels and several houses were evacuated and treated for chemical fume-related injuries late last night.

At about 10pm, emergency services went to Kirkbride Rd after receiving a call from one of the hotels' guests about strong fumes in the air.

St John ambulance staff treated more than 40 people for stinging eyes, but no one was taken to hospital.

The assistant area commander of the Manukau fire service, Andy Clarkson, said the Kiwi International Hotel and the Airport Skyway Lodge were evacuated as well as a couple of houses.

The evacuees were moved to the Silver Oaks Inn at Silver Point where they stayed in the conference room until it was safe to return to their hotels.

Other people in the area were advised to keep their doors and windows closed until the source of the chemical fumes had been established.

Mr Clarkson said the Fire Service staff had established that the fumes came from glasshouses growing strawberries on Kirkbride Rd.

The area was being soaked with water to dissipate the fumes

Owners of the glasshouses used a toxic chemical, called Chloropicrin, as a fumigant.

Chloropicrin, also known as PS, is a colourless toxic liquid which was once used in chemical warfare.

"We think that the chemical escaped from the glasshouses, and that's what's causing the problems."

The hotels are only a short distance from Auckland International Airport, and Mr Clarkson said some of the people who were evacuated were from overseas.

St John duty operations manager John Takerei said that for most people, the symptoms vanished when they were moved out of the area.