The Rochester Fire Department went to Rochester’s Urban Park Apartments ready for a hazmat situation today…and found the odor that was making people cough and burning their eyes was from someone microwaving hot peppers.
Microwave some kinds of peppers…and they give off capsaicin, the same chemical that’s in pepper spray.
Before they realized why people were complaining about eye and throat irritation they found a sealed 55 gallon drum which had to be investigated. It turned out to contain clothes.