Carbon Monoxide Leak Closes Springfield Kaiser

A carbon monoxide leak this afternoon caused by construction equipment closed the Kaiser Permanente building in Springfield for the day.

According to Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department Battalion Chief Craig Buckley, the carbon monoxide was generated by construction equipment in a tented area attached to the building.

After receiving a call about a suspicious odor around 2:05 p.m., firefighters and the hazard materials team opened vents in the side of the building, evacuated the building of around 50 people, and used carbon monoxide detectors to determine levels of the gas.

The carbon monoxide was heaviest in the center of the building, near elevator shafts, Buckley said.

Although the Fire and Rescue Department declared the building safe around 2:30 p.m., a security guard was turning patients away and telling them that the building was closed.