OASIS: At least 12 sickened during HazMat emergency at greenhouse

OASIS – At least a dozen people were sickened by an unknown substance at a greenhouse Monday, Jan. 9. The emergency was reported in the 82000 block of Johnson Street in Oasis. Oasis is an unincorporated community located to the southeast of the cities of Coachella and Indio and northwest of the Salton Sea.

Firefighter/paramedics and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the location after a person called 911 to report the incident to Riverside County emergency dispatchers about 10:11 a.m. The caller told dispatchers that multiple people had suddenly fallen ill at a greenhouse at the location.

Seventeen firefighters from three engine companies responded to the reported emergency, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer Tawny Castro. They were assisted by a paramedic squad, the Riverside County Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team, and a Riverside County Fire Department Hazardous Materials Support Unit. Two American Medical Response ground ambulances also responded to assist.

When firefighters arrived, they learned that eleven potential victims had already left the location prior to their arrival to seek medical evaluation and treatment at area hospitals, Castro explained.

Firefighter/paramedics quickly began evaluating three victims complaining of “minor symptoms,” according to Castro. Five additional people who were still at the business were offered, but declined medical attention.

AMR medics transported one victim by ground ambulance to an area hospital. The victim was suffering from minor, but unspecified symptoms, Castro explained in an update about noon.

The Riverside County Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team was summoned to the scene to try to determine what had sickened the victims; however, they were unable to determine the cause of the incident.

Riverside County Environmental Health responded to the business and ultimately assumed the investigation, which is still active and ongoing, according to Castro.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.