TWO people – including an 89-year-old woman - were treated by paramedics after breathing in toxic fumes during a sulphuric acid spill in Ashburton yesterday.

Three fire crews rushed to the scene in East Street just before 2pm after a glass bowl of the acid, mixed with water, dripped on to a mobile heater.

The elderly victim and her son-in-law in his 50s quit the property as the first floor worskshop room filled with the noxious fumes.

Both casualties, checked over by an ambulance team, did not require further treatment in hospital.

It’s understood the water and acid were being heated as part of a jewellery-making process.

A specialist hazardous materials advisor from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was called to give instructions on dealing with the substance.

Firefighters from Ashburton, Buckfastleigh and Newton Abbot dealt with the emergency using breathing gear.

A fire spokesman said: ‘It was quite a difficult job as we don’t normally deal with acid spills.

‘The two people involved did the right thing by getting outside quickly. They had inhaled the fumes, but they were OK.’

He added: ‘We took advice from the ‘hazmat’ officer and vented the property

by opening windows and using a positive pressure fan.’

He confirmed that a small amount of the acid-water mix spilled on to the heater after cracking the glass bowl.

The occupants of the property were given the all clear to tidy up after the accident.