4 airport workers sickened at LAX from apparent gas leak

CNN
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The four people injured in an apparent gas leak Monday at Los Angeles International Airport were all airport employees, according to an update provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The condition of the most severely ill victim was upgraded from serious to critical after the incident.

A woman and three men were working in or near a utility room “when a popping sound was heard, and the apparent release of carbon dioxide vapor occurred,” the LAFD report said.

The more seriously injured man, described as being in his 50s, was found not breathing and without a pulse in the utility room. CPR was immediately performed and advanced life support given by emergency responders while he was taken to a nearby hospital, the Fire Department shared.

“LAFD Hazardous Materials experts carefully examined the area with sophisticated instruments, and discovered only trace amounts of carbon dioxide remaining in the utility room,” the LAFD said.

Portable fans are used to further ventilate the immediate area.

The incident happened in Terminal 8 near the baggage area. The terminal was cleared of passengers after the incident. The area reopened around 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT), according to a tweet from LAX airport.

A Federal Aviation Administration ground stop for the arrival of United Airlines has also been lifted, the airport said.

All other terminals and flights were operating normally, according to a tweet from LAX airport.

“Check your flight status with the airline directly for the best information,” the airport tweeted earlier Monday.

United told CNN it was “temporarily consolidating” its operations at Terminal 7 and contacting affected customers with a new departure time and gate information.

Passengers going through security headed to Terminal 8 were held in Terminal 7 after screening, Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said earlier Monday.

Dankers said all TSA employees are fine, and the incident did not involve a TSA checkpoint.

CNN’s Marnie Hunter contributed to this report.