150 Flee Fumes at Swap Meet

More than 150 people were evacuated from an indoor swap meet in Canoga Park on Sunday when fumes from an unknown chemical source escaped, sending four women to the hospital, Los Angeles City fire officials said.

A hazardous materials team was sent to the Valley Indoor Swap Meet shortly after 3 p.m. when fumes forced the evacuation of the building at 6701 Variel Ave., said Assistant Chief Tony Ennis of the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Two infants and six women were treated with oxygen in front of the building, Ennis said. Four of the women were later taken to West Valley Hospital in Canoga Park, where they were listed in good condition, hospital officials said. Another 35 people suffered from a burning sensation in their throats and watery eyes after inhaling the fumes.

The source of the fumes was unknown, but authorities speculated that somebody playing a prank may have sprayed Mace or pepper gas inside the building. The fumes were “extremely localized,” Ennis said.

“It seemed to permeate the air very quickly,” said Debbie Bluestein of Sherman Oaks. “Within minutes people were running out of the building.

“I was looking at a jewelry booth and I got a tickle in my throat and started coughing,” Bluestein added. “Then the woman working in the booth started coughing and then we heard the announcement to evacuate.”

“It smelled like acid or like some sort of gas,” said Audrey Kaufman of Sherman Oaks. “At first it bothered me and then I ran out and started coughing.”

Throngs of employees and shoppers gathered outside the swap meet, some receiving treatment from paramedics, while others waited to find out what they had inhaled.

Shoppers were allowed to return to the building by about 5 p.m., said Jim Wells, a city fire spokesman.