Fremont fire officials asked anyone near Newton Court to shelter in place on Friday for about an hour and a half.
Fremont Fire Dept. Chief Diane Hendry said a Waste Republic driver was on his route collecting garbage at 34309 Newton Court about 9 a.m. when he picked up the trash, which ignited some sort of chemical reaction. Smoke started billowing out of his blue truck.
The driver was having trouble breathing, Hendry said, and was taken to the hospital.
Fremont fire firefighters urged residents to stay inside and close their windows until about 10:30 a.m. They did not immediately say what caused the reaction, or what type of chemicals the neighborhood was exposed to.
