Oak Street Health Closed following chemical spill

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — Oak Street Health will be closed for the rest of the week following a chemical spill that left nine people hospitalized.

The incident happened around 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning when nine people reported feeling ill at the center. The fire department spent several hours ventilating and flushing the building.

Fire Chief Peter McMichael said the department used a meter to scan for volatile chemicals, but only found low readings in nearby buildings. He said the people from Oak Street Health got sick from the fumes.

“The person that was cleaning last night possibly mixed two types of chemicals that may have created some fumes stayed in the building overnight and then when the staff came in the morning they became exposed to that and after about an hour or so they developed symptoms.”

The nine people who were hospitalized are expected to be okay.