A terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was evacuated Monday due to an apparent carbon dioxide leak that left four people “suddenly” sick, including one person who is in “critical condition,” authorities said.
The apparent release of carbon dioxide occurred in a utility room near the Terminal 8 Baggage Area, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an alert. Three men and one woman “suddenly” became ill “when a popping sound was heard and the apparent release of Carbon Dioxide vapor took place.”
Three of the victims were treated at the scene for “minor complaints.” The fourth individual – described as a man in his 50s – was “found pulseless and non-breathing inside the utility room.”
“He was provided prompt CPR and advanced life support by LAFD Paramedics, with continuing advanced medical care during transport to an area hospital. His condition was upgraded from grave to critical on hospital arrival,” the alert read.
No passengers were “directly affected by the release,” the department added, but around 100 people were evacuated from the area.
LAX Airport tweeted that only Terminal 8 and United Airlines are impacted by the ongoing hazmat investigation.
“Fire crews remain on scene at Terminal 8 to ensure there is no hazardous material inside. Once they clear the area as safe passengers will be allowed back inside. Inbound United flights will be impacted so please check with your airline for the latest on any rescheduling,” the airport tweeted.
Earlier this month, Russian-speaking hackers took credit for a cyberattack that left the websites of at least 14 U.S. airports temporarily inaccessible, including LAX.
“Early this morning, the FlyLAX.com website was partially disrupted,” LAX said in a statement. “The service interruption was limited to portions of the public facing FlyLAX.com website only. No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions.”
