Torrey council meeting evacuated after resident spills chemical during meeting, county officials say


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TORREY, Wayne County — A man was arrested after county officials say he created a hazmat situation when he brought a toxic substance to a town hall meeting Thursday night.

The man, who wasn’t immediately identified, entered a town council meeting at Torrey Town Hall, 100 N. 75 East, with the substance, which was believed to be a pesticide, according to a statement from Steve Lutz, Wayne County Fire District spokesman.

Lutz said the substance was spilled at some point during the meeting and a Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy at the meeting evacuated the building at that point. Wayne County Fire, Wayne County Sheriff's Office and Wayne County Emergency Management officials all responded to the building.

All persons attending the meeting went through a decontamination process because they were exposed to the substance.

Three people were taken to Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield for observation because they came into direct contact with the substance, Lutz added.

He said the man who brought the substance was a town resident and was taken into custody after being decontaminated and then transported to the hospital.

Deputies and fire personnel went to the man’s home Thursday to look for any other possible substances. It was cleared for crime scene processing, Lutz said.

Torrey Town Hall remained closed Friday and will be until it is cleaned up and deemed safe, Lutz added.

Editor's note: KSL.com originally wrote the information came from Kassidee Brown but has updated this article to show the information came from Steve Lutz.

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Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL.com. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.
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