14 DAY TRIAL // According to CBS News, an Apple Store in Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey, California, got evacuated on Wednesday after employees called 911 because they started to fall ill due to a strange package covered in an "unknown liquid."
Immediately after the 911 call made by an Apple employee around 12pm, the Monterey Fire Department and the Monterey County regional hazardous materials team responded to the scene and evacuated the entire Apple Store along with two other nearby stores and an outside patio.
"Employees at the store in the Del Monte Shopping Center called 911 at 12:25 p.m. after some employees began feeling dizzy and nauseous after handling a package that was delivered to the store," according to Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer.
After some investigation, the Monterey County regional hazardous materials officials reported that the strange package, which was delivered to the Apple Store by FedEx, was "contaminated in transit when an unknown substance most likely leaked onto the package's exterior," as CBS reports.
Everyone is safe and the Apple Store back in business
The Monterey Herald also reports that a total of eight people were evacuated from the scene once the hazmat and fire department teams arrived, and four of them were taken to a hospital. However, there's no news if any of the hospitalized people were Apple employees.
According to the Monterey County Fire and Hazmat officials, the "unknown liquid" turned out to be an organic peroxide that is usually used as a disinfectant. Business Insider talked with Panholzer, who confirmed that FedEx had claimed responsibility for the contamination.
At the moment of writing this article, everyone involved in the incident is safe and out of any danger. The Apple Store got back in business around 10am PT on Thursday, May 14.
