- February 3, 2025
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The Port Orange Goodwill was evacuated Thursday, June 27, after a customer accidentally discharged a small container of her self-defense pepper spray causing one person to be transported to a care facility.
Port Orange firefighters arrived at the 1752 Dunlawton Ave. store at 4 p.m. and found 30 to 40 people standing outside. Fire Chief Ken Fustin said some complained of an irritating scratch in their throats. His crews triaged the large group of people with a total of 15 needing medical care.
After viewing security tapes, Fustin said it appeared the woman shopping accidentally discharged the canister while either inside of the fitting room, or while exiting it.
“This appears to be the most likely cause of the signs and symptoms of the workers and visitors in the building at the time of the call,” Fustin said.
Multiple sweeps of the building were completed and it was deemed safe for employees to return to work. However, the Goodwill manager closed the store for the remainder of the day to ensure there would be no further exposure to employees and customers.
