TAMPA, Florida — Crews removed a heavy rack of unstable lithium-ion batteries Thursday afternoon from a Johns Hopkins All Children's Outpatient Care building, eliminating the threat of an explosion, officials said.
Firefighters and hazmat responders were dispatched just after 9 a.m. to the facility on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard for calls of an electrical smell coming from its MRI room. Amid concerns about hazardous gas and the potential for an explosion, about 80 people were evacuated.
Area health care providers evaluated 13 patients following the hazmat call, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
"It's a fear of the unknown," Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesperson Rob Herrin said when asked about what teams were going through. "It doesn't smell like a fire, it could be something else."
When the first responding firefighters got inside the building, they found a bank of 30 lithium-ion batteries that were swelling and emitting gas that could be toxic, according to Herrin. Two of those batteries ruptured.
These types of batteries weigh about 100 pounds each and contain a number of gases, some of which are harmful, Herrin continued.
In an update Thursday afternoon, crews placed the batteries in what Herrin called a neutralizing agent — a solution of sodium bicarbonate — and secured them. A third party will take them away from the center while fans will be used to ventilate the building for safe use.
"All but eliminated the threat of explosion," Herrin said. "A huge win for this operation."
As of now, the cause of the dysfunctioning batteries is unknown, but Herrin explained a lightning strike near the building on Wednesday night may be a contributing factor.
Three people were taken to another facility, while 10 were medically evaluated at the scene.
Additional hazmat technicians from Pasco County Fire Rescue were called to assist the 24 Hillsborough County technicians and 18 units already on the scene. The sheriff's office bomb squad was also called in as an additional resource.