Lead-acid batteries contained in a floor cleaning machine are being blamed for the evacuation of the Winn-Dixie store in Ridge Manor on Sunday. The evacuation took place after some people in the store complained of breathing problems.
According to Hernando County Fire Rescue (HCFR) Public Information Officer (PIO) Nick Brandt, crews were sent to the Winn-Dixie store at 31100 Cortez Blvd in Ridge Manor just after 5:40 p.m. on March 10 after some people complained of breathing problems that they said were caused by gas or fumes inside the building.
At the scene, responding crews treated five people who reported respiratory distress and evacuated the supermarket. One person was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. Four others declined to be taken to the hospital.
The HCFR crew also asked that a HazMat crew come to the scene to check the site for a gas leak. Those HazMat technicians found that the gas or fumes that forced the evacuation were emanating from batteries in a floor-cleaning machine located inside the store.
Brandt said that one of the batteries was visibly swollen and off-gassing. “This is a normal process that prevents batteries from catastrophic failure but is extremely dangerous when the batteries are stored indoors or confined areas,” Brandt explained. The lead batteries involved in this incident release hydrogen gas, which is both deadly and flammable/explosive in the correct concentrations, he said.
After the floor cleaning machine was removed from the building, the store re-opened just before 8 p.m.
