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JFRD hazmat team on scene of gas odor at Eastside commercial building

Jessie Street is currently closed from Talleyrand Avenue to Haines Street.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department is responding to a gas odor on the Eastside.

The hazmat team is on the scene of the 1600 block of Jessie Street, according to a tweet from JFRD. Crews were called due to a gas odor at Childers Roofing at 10 a.m., JFRD said.

Initially, the hazmat team detected strong levels of hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs and is highly flammable, JFRD said. 

JEA was doing routine maintenance in the area, and one of the building's exhaust fans stopped working for unknown reasons, according to JFRD. JEA was called to the scene to cut off power to avoid igniting sparks.

JFRD Capt. Eric Prosswimmer said crews evacuated the building and started circulating the air with fans. The hazmat team gave an all clear when they checked the air again and did not get any levels on their reading, JFRD said.

“It’s a very flammable compound so basically at the levels we were getting, any kind of spark could create an ignition," Prosswimmer said.

No one was hurt in the incident. JFRD does not know how many people were in the building at the time.

Crews will remain on scene to do one more check before letting people back into the building, JFRD said.

Jessie Street is closed from Talleyrand Avenue to Haines Street at this time, JFRD said. Drivers are urged to avoid the area if possible.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is also on the scene blocking off the street. First Coast News crews on the scene were able to see at least two JFRD firetrucks and multiple other JFRD vehicles on the scene.

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