A Los Angeles International Airport worker went into cardiac arrest and three others became ill Monday after a carbon dioxide leak that caused a terminal to be evacuated, officials said.
The incident occurred in a “small, electrical room” equipped with a fire suppression system that’s designed to release carbon dioxide to put out flames, Capt. Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Two men and a woman managed to make it outside of the utility room after hearing a popping noise, but the fourth — identified only as a male in his 50s — remained inside and suffered cardiac arrest.
He received CPR from paramedics after becoming “pulseless and nonbreathing,” the fire department said, and is now breathing on his own. He was initially considered to be in grave condition, and is now hospitalized and upgraded to critical condition.
The carbon dioxide release occurred away from any walkways open to the public, but about 100 people were evacuated from the airport’s Terminal 8 as a safety precaution and moved to Terminal 7, according to the fire department, which responded to the scene shortly after 7 a.m. local time.
“Terminal 8 is being repopulated and reopened after @LAFD has cleared the building as safe,” the airport announced in an update shortly after 10 a.m. local time. “We thank our firefighters for their rapid response and our passengers for their patience during the hazmat investigation.”
Officials determined only a “trace amount” of carbon dioxide remained in the utility room during their investigation, with Scott saying the situation was “under control.”
“It does appear to be isolated,” Scott said. “There was no other rooms that we’re aware of at this point, or did not really go beyond that area.”
Scott said the fire suppression system is designed to fully deluge the dangerous, odorless gas in the event of an emergency, rather than gradually release it. Officials haven’t said what caused the system to go off Monday.
©2022 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
