Fire officials in Tampa, Florida asked residents near the port to take shelter in their homes around 11 a.m. after sulfur dioxide was released, The Washington Post reported.
According to Capt. Lonnie Benniefield, spokesman of Tampa Fire Rescue, sulfur dioxide was released after firefighters contained a fire in a silo that held sulfur. The silo is owned by Gulph Sulfur and lit on fire around 9 a.m.
Crew members at the port attempted to put the fire out with steam, but that resulted in a cloud of sulfur dioxide to form. Officials became concerned once the smell was detected in a downtown area after the winds picked up the chemical.
Benniefield said sulfur dioxide is not seriously dangerous in an open space, but can have harmful effects if in a closed space.
As a precautionary measure to avoid any of those harmful effects, officials asked local residents in the south side of downtown Tampa -- including Harbour Island and Channelside -- to temporarily stay inside. The request was recently cancelled.
There have been no serious reports of health issues except some residents that suffered from eye irritation.
On the Tampa Police Department's Facebook page, they said in a statement around noon, "All clear in the Port of Tampa! Tampa Fire Rescue has extinguished a small fire in a silo that caused the chemical fumes. The situation is under control and all fumes have dissipated. The shelter in place order is lifted for downtown residents. Thank you TFR for a job well done!"
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
The Environmental Protection Agency lists respiratory effects, such as bronchoconstriction and asthma, as potential threats of sulfur dioxide especially in children, the elderly, and asthmatics. The EPA notes that sulfur dioxide can mix with other chemicals in the air to create other health threats like emphysema and can worsen existing heart disease.
