Odor in Elgin building sickens 12

Three emergency personnel were hospitalized and 12 people were injured after responding to a report of an unknown odor filling an Elgin six-flat apartment building Monday night.

Two firefighters and a police officer were among those transported to Sherman Hospital after feeling ill with nausea and throat irritation while clearing a hazmat scene on the 1100 block of Ash Drive, according to police.

Elgin spokeswoman Susan Olafson said that building is where Birch Drive turns into Ash Drive, which led to the confusion.

A resident of the building called 911 reporting a strange odor that was causing watering eyes and a metallic taste at about 5:20 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

None of the residents of the building, who had already evacuated by the time emergency crews arrived, were hospitalized, Olafson said.

One firefighter and a police officer complained of chest pains as they were leaving the building and another firefighter developed high blood pressure, authorities said.

The three emergency workers have been treated and released from an area hospital, Olafson said.

The Elgin Fire Department and a hazmat team conducted an investigation, but could not determine the cause of the odor Monday night, Olafson said.

The six-flat building, containing five families, was red-tagged Monday night, meaning no one will be allowed in the building until an air-quality remediation company determines the cause of the odor, officials said.

Red Cross has been called in to help place the 12 people that were displaced, Olafson said.

The odor dissipated on its own, but the fire department ventilated the entire building Monday night as a precautionary measure, officials said.