A noxious odor prompted an evacuation and hazardous materials investigation at a Target on the south end of Riverside Monday.
The gaseous odor was reported at 8:20 a.m. within the Towngate Shopping Center in the 2700 block of Canyon Springs Parkway, just south of the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst said that two engine crews and a truck company were sent to the location and encountered “multiple individuals” at the Target complaining of feeling ill from exposure to fumes.
The store was immediately evacuated, and ambulances were summoned.
It was unclear whether anyone was hospitalized.
Inspectors from the Department of Environmental Health were called to aid firefighters in trying to determine the source of the odor and whether it posed a safety threat, according to Vanderhorst.
A hazardous materials unit was also at the scene.
The investigation was ongoing as of 10:30 a.m.