Three people were taken to hospital after Richmond Fire-Rescue, RCMP and B.C. Ambulance responded to reports of several people falling ill in the area around Ackroyd and No. 3 roads Tuesday afternoon.

The block was taped off for around an hour as emergency services dealt with the situation, which appeared to be centred around 8171 Ackroyd Road, an office building.

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Richmond RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dennis Hwang said that the Mounties were on scene to assist B.C. Ambulance and the fire-rescue in a medical emergency.

PriceSmart, on Ackroyd Road, was evacuated, with customers and staff made to leave everything behind and exit the building.

Staff at the grocery store told the Richmond News that fire crews were first in the area in the early afternoon, and that they had heard people were getting sick.

B.C. Emergency Health Services was able to tell the News that there was “an inadvertent ingestion of (a) chemical substance.” They received the call around 1 p.m.

The three people were taken to the hospital in stable condition.