A Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital office building was evacuated for approximately three hours Monday night due to a gas leak in the basement, according to the hospital.
An equipment failure inside a mechanical room at the McGaw Medical Office Building located at 800 Westmoreland Road caused the leak, the hospital said in a statement.
Hospital personnel activated emergency procedures with the Lake Forest Fire Department receiving the initial call at 6:43 p.m., according to Fire Chief Andrew Rick.
Upon arriving at the office building, crews found a fog in the building’s basement and subsequently located a cylinder leaking a substance that was later determined to be a refrigerant commonly used in air conditioning units.
After hours cleaning personnel were evacuated from the building as hazmat crews attended to the gas leak.
The hospital said an “all-clear” directive was given at about 10:00 p.m. after the building was ventilated and the incident did not impact hospital or patient care. The medical office building was open for normal on Tuesday.
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Rick said the Lake Forest Fire Department received assistance from several neighboring communities as the incident was active.