Six first responders are recovering after a house fire in Fairfield turned into a hazardous materials incident.
The incident happened on Saturday around 5 p.m. when firefighters responded to a house fire in the 1700 block of Ashtree Court. When firefighters arrived, they found the garage fully involved in flames. While fighting the fire, firefighters found 200 pounds of lithium batteries in the garage. Due to heat from the fire and exposure to water, the batteries started giving off fluoride gas, according to a Fairfield Fire Department statement.
The Solano County Hazmat team came to the scene and rendered the area safe.
In all, three firefighters, three police officers, and a resident were taken to the hospital because of exposure to the gas. A fourth firefighter was taken to the hospital to be treated for a back injury.
The cause of the fire was an electrical malfunction.