By Laura French
WASHINGTON — Three D.C. Fire and EMS firefighters were transported to the hospital after one of two hazmat incidents in the capital Wednesday.
D.C. Fire and EMS reported on Twitter that the three firefighters were transported for possible exposure after an apparent Freon leak from a large air conditioning chiller. Six civilians were also evaluated but didn’t require medical treatment. The refrigerant leak was mitigated by D.C. Fire and EMS crews Wednesday morning, according to the agency.
https://twitter.com/dcfireems/status/1301147547981971462?s=20
The agency also reported a second hazmat incident later Wednesday morning involving an acid leak producing hazardous fumes. The second incident occurred at the Department of Homeland Security complex in Southeast and involved an overheated or cracked battery that leaked sulphuric acid, according to Patch.com. The battery was part of a battery bank meant to provide backup power during an outage, officials said.
One person was transported to the hospital and evaluated for injuries that were not life-threatening, and the acid spill was isolated to the room it originated from. No fire personnel were injured during the second incident.