Hospital Chemical Leak Suspected as ER, OR Evacuated

A New Hampshire hospital operating and emergency room were evacuated Friday due to a suspected chemical leak.

Patients and staff in the operating room at Exeter Hospital said they felt dizzy or complained of flu-like symptoms Friday morning, CBS News reported. The Epping Fire Department was sent to check out the area for carbon monoxide, but the exact cause was not confirmed Friday afternoon.

The hospital's emergency room was evacuated as a precaution because it was located nearby, but no patients or staff there reported any symptoms, CBS reported. About 20 patients were taken outside to a temporary staging area before being sent to other hospitals, and 17 staff also were hospitalized.

Everyone who complained of symptoms is now doing well after being removed from the area, ABC News reported.

Residents and local fire departments were asked not to bring new patients to Exeter Hospital because of the evacuation.

Town Manager Russell Dean said possible sources of the leak are being investigated, CBS reported. The incident was classified as a mass casualty incident, meaning that multiple people may have been injured by the odor.

Rockingham Alert posted on Facebook that the leak was an anesthesia chemical, but no other source has confirmed that information.

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