In Cromwell, Connecticut, hotel guests experienced a rude awakening when they were evacuated from their rooms because of a dangerous hazardous gas that was filling up the building. According to WFSB News the guests have been allowed back inside the hotel, but were forced to find somewhere else to go for most of the day.
Fire officials as well as members of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection were called to the Crowne Plaza on Monday to investigate the incident. Supposedly, two employees were mixing chemicals when they started having trouble breathing. Further investigation shows that those two chemicals were acid and a chlorine compound. The two strong chemicals were mixed in a 10-gallon bucket by the hotel’s pool area, and the reaction sent the fumes throughout the hotel.
The Cromwell Police Department has described the fume as a chlorine cloud that moved into the ventilation system. From there, it was able to infiltrate every single room in the hotel. The reaction generated a lot of heat and the hazardous materials teams have had a hard time trying to quench the dangerous substance. Four people were told to head to the hospital as a precaution, though they did not complain of serious symptoms. One hotel guest told the press that he could not believe how strong the smell was near the pool area.
He was attending a conference which had to be postponed because of the problems. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says that the gases never got to lethal levels, but did have the potential to harm some innocent individuals. The levels when tested were five times the legal amounts allowed in public places by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If you are harmed by exposure to a hazardous material because of someone else’s negligence, then contact a Hartford injury attorney at David A. Zipfel & Associates, LLC today for more information!