Des Plaines City Hall Evacuated For Freon Leak
DES PLAINES, Ill. (WBBM) -- The Des Plaines municipal building had to be evacuated late Thursday morning for a freon leak.
It was just before 11 a.m. when Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax says the call came in about a problem at Des Plaines City Hall.
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"There were workers working on a Freon tank in the basement when there was a leak of Freon," Wax said. "It leaked into the common areas of the City Hall basement, and the vapors extended up into the building."
Wax says Freon is an irritant that is heavier than air and "excludes" oxygen, which can cause suffocation.
He says Des Plaines City Hall was evacuated. More than 200 people -- everyone in the building except staffers in the 911 center that serves several nearby suburbs -- were evacuated, the Sun-Times Media Wire reported.
No one was hurt, including the worker who was in the basement working directly around the Freon tank, according to Wax.
The fire department has aired out the Des Plaines City Hall and workers were allowed back inside around 1:30 p.m.
