Noxious smell forces evacuation of Rohnert Park Home Depot

A sulfur smell led to the early Friday evacuation of about 20 staff members of the Rohnert Park Home Depot store, Rohnert Park public safety officials said.

Long before the doors opened at 6 a.m. at the Redwood Drive retailer, city firefighters and a Sonoma County hazardous materials officer tracked the smell to an overheating battery on a motorized shopping cart, said Sgt. Dale Utecht, who also is a captain with the city’s fire program.

The cart was removed and the store aired out, Utecht said.

Store staff called police at about 1 a.m. to report the noxious fumes, the sergeant said.

Using gas monitors, they tracked the odors to the motorized cart that was plugged into the wall. The battery was overheating, which was causing fluids in the device to evaporate and emit smelly fumes, Utecht said. Fire officials remained on scene until about 3 a.m. while the building was aired out, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.