Bear repellent causes peppery irritant in downtown apartment, officials say

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Bear repellent was determined to be the source of a peppery irritant that affected several residents in a downtown apartment building Tuesday night, according to a release.

Emergency crews responded around 8 p.m. to an apartment building in the 400 block of West Johnson Street for reports of multiple people with similar symptoms, including sneezing, watery eyes and an irritated throat, officials said.

Three women told firefighters they came home about two hours earlier and noticed something peppery in the air, according to the release.

Firefighters found the smell to be strongest in the hallway and basement area and eventually located a bottle of grizzly bear repellent in a storage locker in the basement, officials said.

After ventilating the hallways and removing the repellent, firefighters talked with the owner of the repellant, who said he had just returned from a camping trip out west, according to the release. When he got home, he accidentally dropped the bottle and shot off a small amount.

The resident contacted the property company to let them know, but neighbors started reporting symptoms before building management could address the concern, officials said. No one was taken to the hospital.

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