Updated at 4:31 p.m., Thursday, September 20, 2007
Spoiled seafood at Honolulu business blamed for odor
Advertiser Staff
Honolulu Fire Department engine companies and a hazardous waste team responded to reports of a chemical spill on Robello Lane near King Street at around 9:30 a.m. this morning.Firefighters on the scene found no hazardous chemicals. Instead, they discovered the source of a noxious odor was a Dumpster filled with seafood that had spoiled after a commercial portable freezer had gone out the day before.
Workers with the business that owned the freezer had double-bagged the fish before placing it in the Dumpster, but the container had apparently not been emptied as scheduled and the seafood had rotted.
One resident in the area complained of feeling ill because of the odor. Emergency Medical Services personnel treated the man, who was released after he refused further medical treatment.
Firefighters instructed the business workers on the proper method to clean and wash down the affected area. They also blocked a nearby storm drain with an absorbent gutter boom to keep any of the resulting fluids out of the drainage system.
