LOS ANGELES — Four workers have been sickened including one in critical condition, after a carbon dioxide release Monday at Los Angeles International Airport.
The incident was reported around 7 a.m. Monday, according to KTLA.
According to The Associated Press, spokesperson Brian Humphrey with the Los Angeles Fire Department said that a man, 36, is in critical condition after a carbon dioxide release in a utility room. According to the AP, the man at first was in grave condition, but his condition improved to critical as he arrived at a hospital.
Two other men and a woman were treated at the scene with minor injuries, according to the AP.
The gas leak was first reported in the Terminal 8 baggage area, but once crews started investigating, it was determined that the release came from a utility room just about 200 feet from the baggage area, according to Humphrey per the AP.
According to the AP, no travelers were medically impacted by the carbon dioxide gas release but about 100 of them were moved to Terminal 7.
Captain Erik Scott with LAFD in a news conference Monday said that the utility room has electrical equipment inside that has a fire suppression system that releases carbon dioxide, according to the AP. Scott also said the four workers who were impacted by the release are independent contractors. They were in a room when they heard popping sounds that was followed by a “deluge of carbon dioxide.”
Terminal 8 reopened by the late morning, according to the AP.
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