THE CANDLEWOOD SUITES hotel in Garden Grove was the location of a pepper spray incident Wednesday night (GGFD photo).

Twenty-two people were evacuated from the Candlewood Suites hotel in Garden Grove Wednesday night after someone applied pepper spray to the walls of a third-floor hallway.

According to Capt. Thanh Nguyen of the Garden Grove Fire Department, the incident was reported at 9:34 p.m. at the hotel at 12901 Garden Grove Blvd., near Haster Street.

Garden Grove firefighters on the scene in response to a medical aid call in the building were exposed to the chemical, and detected a telltale odor and experienced mild respiratory irritation, according to Capt. Nguyen.

GGFD fire crews evacuated 22 guests from the third floor, but one room’s occupants refused to leave. Hazardous materials teams from Anaheim Fire and Rescue and the Huntington Beach Fire Department helped in the investigation.

No guests or firefighters were reported injured or hospitalized. The floor was ventilated to remove the spray and guests began returning to the hotel. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Garden Grove Police Department at (714) 741-5704.