Fumigation gases leak, area evacuated

Five nearby residents were treated after feeling ill from toxic fumes and others were evacuated after a flap opened to release gases from a house being fumigated Tuesday night in the 400 block of South Kihei Road, police said.

Kihei patrol officers responded to the 7:10 p.m. call.

After the Maui Fire Department and its Hazmat team determined the area was unsafe at 7:28 p.m., officers shut down South Kihei Road from Kaonoulu Street to Ohukai Road and began evacuating nearby residents.

Fifty to sixty people were evacuated, police said. The five people who felt ill were treated in a safe area by medics, police said. One of them was transported in good condition to Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Shortly after the fumigation company arrived and resealed the tent, the Hazmat team deemed the area safe enough for residents to return, police said.

South Kihei Road was reopened, and residents were allowed to return home at 9:05 p.m.