Emergency responders arrived to a Rochester, New York apartment building after residents complained about trouble breathing.
UPI reports the cause of the respiratory problems stemmed from another resident in the building microwaving a hot pepper. The chemical capsaicin was released, resulting in an effect similar to pepper spray.
"It seems whatever kind of pepper they were using, once it's aerosolized, if you've ever gotten pepper in your eyes, you know how hard it can be on your system. I do not know what kind of pepper it was, but clearly spicy enough to affect the people in the hallway," said Rochester Fire Department's Lt. Dana Cieslinski.
No one required medical attention after the incident, and the tenants were allowed back into the building.