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11 sickened by fumes at Old Saybrook Walmart as store is temporarily closed

The Walmart in Old Saybrook was evacuated Wednesday after a noxious odor left almost a dozen people feeling ill, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said.

Fire and medical personnel responded along with DEEP to the store at 665 Boston Post Road around noon after the unknown odor was reported.

“The building was cleared, and the odor was determined to have come from acid gas vapors emanating from overheated batteries in a floor scrubber,” DEEP spokesman Will Healy said, in an email.

Healy said 11 people were reported sick and were evaluated on-site by medical personnel.