Four people were sickened by a release of carbon dioxide in a baggage hold at Los Angeles International Airport Early Monday, authorities said.
A carbon dioxide leak at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) occurred on October 31, resulting in the hospitalization of four construction workers.
Officials said all four workers — a woman and three men — were exposed to carbon dioxide in or near the utility room where the gas leak occurred. The technical room was about 200 feet from the airport’s Terminal 8 baggage hold.
Soon after the gas leak, Terminal 8 was evacuated and passengers were redirected to Terminal 7.
One man was found in critical condition with no pulse. Officials said only a trace of carbon dioxide remained in the utility room. Officials added that safety crews are using ventilators to release the gas.
The airport’s official Twitter account said United Airlines flights bound for LAX were being held at their departure airports due to the situation. LAX Airport said on Twitter that all passengers were advised to contact their airline for the latest flight information. Additionally, the airport said fire crews were at Terminal 8 to ensure there was no emergency.
United flights to Los Angeles have resumed after a gas leak grounded all incoming planes
A carbon dioxide leak briefly halted all inbound traffic at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday and left one airport worker in critical condition in the hospital.
The incident forced passengers to evacuate LAX Terminal 8, which serves United Airlines. Meanwhile, United said it would temporarily consolidate its operations at Terminal 7 due to the carbon dioxide problem.
Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the carbon dioxide leak was an accident — and was linked to the airport’s fire suppression system. Four workers at LAX were in a utility room containing mostly electrical equipment when carbon dioxide was released from the room’s fire suppression system,
Humphrey said.
Cause of gas leaked at Los Angeles Airport
Since the incident, the LAFD has said it “thoroughly investigated the area using sophisticated tools and discovered only trace amounts of carbon dioxide remaining in the utility room.” Nothing was found to escalate the situation, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the incident prompted a full shutdown at the airport for part of the morning, affecting United Airlines and its regional carriers. All other flights and terminals were operating normally, the airport said.
