Buford Warehouse Hazmat Incident Injures Person

BUFORD, GA — A person suffered a non-threatening injury Monday in a hazmat incident at a Mall of Georgia Boulevard business, according to the Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services.

Firefighters responded around 6:45 p.m. to a business fire at Costco Wholesale Warehouse. An employee told emergency dispatch smoke came from the back of the warehouse, and the building was being evacuated.

Fire officials said crews led a search and rescue, encountering hazy conditions caused by a gas leak in the coolant system. Firefighters and building maintenance staff shut off all control valves connected to the leak.

The Hazardous Materials Team used atmospheric monitoring devices to survey air quality conditions while fans offered ventilation, fire officials said. The gas leak was under control around 7:15 p.m.

A person was treated for a non-threatening injury and released by medical crews at the scene. It is unknown if that person was a warehouse employee.

Fire officials said the warehouse was deemed safe around 8:30 p.m., and building managers completed the necessary repairs.