As many as 59 people were transported to a hospital suffering from respiratory-related problems after a fire broke out Wednesday at a North Bend business.
There were no fatalities, and the fire was quickly brought under control at Affiliated Computer Services Inc., said Lesley Pool, a company spokesperson.
North Bend police chief Steve Scibelli said the fire department was called at about noon and found that a short in the building's heating and electrical unit caused smoke and odor to waft out, causing some employees to have trouble breathing.
All 250 employees in the building were evacuated, and workers scheduled to start their shift in the afternoon were told not to come in, Scibelli said. Police sent up a triage area in the parking lot of the building and isolated the employees, he said.
By 2 p.m., employees that needed to go to the hospital had been taken by bus and ambulance, and the rest were allowed to go home, Scibelli said.
ACS, based out of Dallas, Texas, is a large business that contracts to provide phone and Internet services for corporate clients.
