Fire department’s hazmat team deployed to clear out toxic pesticide powder from Wan Chai home

A pair of Nepalese siblings were hospitalized after inhaling suspected toxic pesticide powder inside their Wan Chai home, with the Fire Services Department deploying the HazMat team to handle the incident on Monday night.

The police were alerted of the incident yesterday night where a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy felt unwell after breathing in the fumes.

First responders arrived at the apartment located on Hennessy Road and preliminarily determined that the two siblings had breathed in the pungent fumes released by the pesticide powder in the room.

They were taken to Ruttonjee Hospital for medical treatment in the company of their parents and were later transferred to Eastern Hospital.

The Fire Services Department was also alerted and deployed the Hazardous Material Team to handle the incident.

The nearby area was cordoned off to allow emergency vehicles and personnel to pass through.

Firefighters of the hazmat team were still at the scene until early this morning, removing multiple items from the apartment, including bedsheets, quilts, and clothes.

The case was listed as an "odor discovery," and no evacuation was required.

It is understood that the father of the house used multiple bottles of pesticide powder purchased from Nepal to combat an ant infestation at their Kwong Tak Mansion apartment.

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