An employee was transported to a local hospital Thursday after an unidentified odor prompted a partial evacuation of the inmate reception center in downtown Los Angeles for several hours, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
By early evening, authorities deemed the building safe for normal use after determining the source of the odor was a bottle of acetone left behind by painters.
The smell was first detected around 2:30 p.m., and officials said at the time that it did not affect any areas that house or hold inmates;
“It does not affect the secure side of the building,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Nicole Nishida told The Times. “We have had no complaints that any inmates have been affected.”
As of 4 p.m., she said, fire officials were still on the scene investigating the source of the odor.
Officials initially said two employees were hospitalized, but later changed that number to one.
“It smelled like a very strong nail polish or paint smell,” one employee told The Times as he coughed repeatedly. “We knew it wasn’t nail polish or paint, but it looked like it.”
For about 15 minutes, the smell quickly spread and grew stronger until officials decided to send workers home and evacuate, according to the employee, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
“My throat is burning,” the staff continued. “My voice is a little grainy now, and usually isn’t.”
Just before 6 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department said the building had been cleared, but that “the investigation into who used the chemical is ongoing.”