Chlorine gas leak leads to evacuation of Main Street hotel Monday; one injured

By RICK MILLER

Olean Star

OLEAN — One individual was injured and the Holiday Inn Express, 101 Main St., was evacuated Monday afternoon in an incident involving a chlorine gas leak.
Olean Fire Department units were dispatched to a reported chemical spill to the Holiday Inn Express at 3:27 p.m. and found the individual in severe distress near the front entrance. 

The individual was treated at the scene and transported to Olean General Hospital by EMS, according to Capt. Nick Ramire. Fire Department personnel remained on site until 7:41 p.m.

There was no immediate word on whether the individual was admitted to the hospital./

“Fire crews then made entry into the affected area and identified a container actively off-gassing chlorine,” Ramire said. “Due to the severity of the hazard posed by the chlorine release, the Olean Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team was requested to respond.”

“As a precautionary measure, the hotel was evacuated, temporarily displacing approximately 10 guests,” Ramire said. 

“The Hazardous Materials Team conducted a Level A entry, secured the source of the release, and successfully mitigated the hazard,” he said. “Following mitigation, the building was thoroughly ventilated and subsequently turned back over to hotel management.”

“The Olean Fire Department would like to extend its sincere appreciation to our local partners, Napoleon Engineering Services, for providing materials that assisted with this incident, and Believers Chapel Love Thy Neighbor Mobile Response Team, who provided shelter, food, and water to displaced guests,” Ramire said.