Hospital evacuates 60 people

A broken air conditioner at Prince William Hospital, at 8700 Sudley Road, led a two-hour evacuation of about 60 people from the first level of Prince William Health System, a medical office building adjacent to the hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Donna Ballou.

“We just evacuated the terrace level of the health center,” Ballou said.

Units from the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company, the Greater Manassas Rescue Squad 1 and fire and rescue units from Prince William County responded to a report of a chemical spill at about 9:55 a.m. Thursday, said Sgt. Marc Woolverton, Manassas police spokesman.

They arrived at the hospital to find about 50 gallons of water from a ruptured pipe in the basement of the building, Woolverton said.

The ruptured water line was from one of the building’s air conditioning units, Ballou said.

The water contained a 10 percent concentration of propylene glycol, which produced an “obnoxious but harmless odor,” Woolverton said.

No one was injured in the incident, but four people were treated for hyperventilation and one complained of nausea, Woolverton said.

People returned to work at about 12:30 p.m., Ballou said.

Similar Posts