Five Taken Ill After Exposure to Unknown Substance in Ukiah

At least five people were taken ill yesterday afternoon at an unknown substance is to blame. Two people at 260 Hospital Drive became ill around 4:15 pm after handling paperwork and then walked across the street to the Adventist Health Ukiah Valley’s emergency room to be seen, where three more people beame ill. Ukiah Valley Fire as well as Redwood Empire Hazmat were called in, along with Hopland Fire and CalFire. At the time of the incident, UVFA Battalion Chief Eric Singleton when asked about the substance said it had been contained and said tests were being carried out to determine what it was. He said the paperwork in question had not been mailed to the building, but dropped off at 260 Hospital Drive. He said efforts to contact the person whose paperwork it was had been unsuccessful. By around 8:30 pm, the original building and the ER were cleared. Tests on the substance came back as inconclusive.