Fire crews evacuated a Home Depot located at 298 Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon Friday after employees reported a suspicious odor coming from the store, authorities confirmed.
Officials were called out to the home improvement store just past 2:30 p.m. When crews arrived, they evacuated the store as a precaution and started investigating the suspicious odor.
San Diego County Hazmat teams were requested to assist in searching the building for the source of the smell.
At 4:45 p.m., the store was still evacuated, officials said.
Eventually, Hazmat teams found the smell coming from a broken bottle of Malathion, which is a type of insecticide, in the garden section of the store.
Crews cleaned up the spill and began clearing the scene.
According to City of El Cajon public information officer Monica Zech, a total of 13 people who were inside the store prior to the evacuation complained of headaches and nausea stemming from the odor.
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However, no patients were transported by medics.
Around 6 p.m., Zech said the store had re-opened and the smell had dissipated.
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