A leak of chlorine and acid occurred on Sunday morning in a hotel in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Withdrawal. As a result there were At least 100 people evacuated and 24 were assisted on site.
Police sources reported that the incident occurred at the Four Seasons, a building located on Posadas street, 1000, where an emergency protocol was set up consisting of personnel from SAME, the Police and Station 4 Recoleta of the City Fire Department.
The causes of the toxic substances leak are still unknown. In total, 24 people were treated on site (18 women and 6 men), including a 44-year-old firefighter, but no one was transferred due to severe intoxication.
The reasons for the preventive evacuation were allegedly due to a chemical reaction between acid and chlorine in the engine room, although the final report is still pending.
The intervention was carried out due to the emanations of a toxic gas coming from the pool area. As a result, it was decided to evacuate the lobby and the mezzanine as a precaution.
Seven SAME ambulances, along with other private ambulances, five units of the City Fire Department and the Special Risks Brigade attended the scene.
People began to smell a “spicy smell” in the pool area, which led them to alert the fire department. Upon arrival, they were able to determine that everything began in the room where machines with air extractors and containers of chemical products that are mixed in a pool, where there was chlorine and acid in separate parts, operate.
Due to a machine error, the two products were mixed, causing an irritating cloud and the building had to be evacuated.
“There was a leak of the aroma in the lower part, as it is security at the hotel, it was decided to call the ambulance and the fire department, simply because when there is a smell or aroma, we always prefer to prevent rather than cure” explained Gabriel Oliveri, an employee of the hotel, in statements to the TN channel.
He also clarified that the guests who were in their rooms were not evacuated, but only those who were on the ground floor and the mezzanine as a precaution.
“They are already returning for lunch,” Oliveri said, adding: “They are investigating the aroma, but it is better to take action if any strange smell occurs. Firefighters and SAME personnel have already given the all clear to inhabit the place.”
“The entire hotel was visited from top to bottom, and currently has more than 300 people in it, but just in case,” he concluded.
Source: NA
Source: Ambito
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