CAMANO ISLAND, Wash. (AP) - A fire official says a leaking canister of chlorine gas was safely capped overnight and most neighbors of a Camano Island home who had been evacuated were allowed to return Wednesday morning.
The Camano Island Fire and Rescue assistant chief, Levon Yengoyan, also says 8 people were treated for breathing difficulties at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon. Three or four more were evaluated by medics at the scene.
About four-dozen people were evacuated because of the strong odor of bleach. About a dozen stayed at a temporary shelter.
The leak was caused by a man who cut into a 4-foot cylinder he planned to salvage. A hazardous material team was called to cap the leak.
Yengoyan says the state Ecology Department and Environmental Protection Agency are monitoring the cylinder.
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