Drivers were filling up at the Pride station on Thorndike and Park Streets just before noon Tuesday, when suddenly they found themselves in a blanket of white dust. Cars and motorcycles were covered with dust as customers ran from the pumps when the gas station's fire suppression system suddenly discharged, spraying a dry chemical powder everywhere.

"We looked out the window and there was this massive white cloud. I mean the whole parking lot was just covered in white," said Vicky Schumey, who works at the Subway restaurant across the street from the gas station.

Alan Roy, Palmer Fire Chief said the powder is intended to put out fires. The chemical would snuff out a blaze before it could spread.

"There's really only two ways it can be discharged. A fire at the pump or by manually being discharged from the inside of the store," Roy said.

But there was no fire. Chief Roy said 14 people were at the pumps at the time. 10 had to be rushed to the hospital.

"We saw people coming out of their cars all covered in white - a woman holding her child and blocking her face from it," Schumey said.

Chief Roy said the powder can pose problems for people with respiratory issues, but Tuesday's powder-coated customers are expected to be okay. That is, until they come back to find their cars covered with the powder.

"It was almost a scene of confusion. A lot of dust. You couldn't see the roadway. A lot of people were in awe... For the first few minutes it was pretty hectic," Chief Roy said.

Robert Bolduc, President of Pride Stores said late Tuesday that he suspects the system was activated due to the heat from the vehicles collecting under the station's canopy, where the suppression system is located. He said the system discharges once the temperature rises to 195-degrees. He does not believe somebody inside the store pressed the activation switch. The Palmer Fire Department is investigating the incident.