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Medical Building Evacuated in Westbrook

A medical building at 5 Pequot Park Road in Westbrook that was evacuated this morning due to dangerous air quality has been cleared to re-open this afternoon. The evacuation was triggered when exhaust from natural gas heating units on the roof was being pulled back into the building, said David Maiden, Westbrook’s building official.

At around 8 a.m., employees smelled gas and called 911. The fire department responded and took carbon monoxide (CO) readings throughout the three-story building, finding levels between 18 and 35 parts per million, a level that is hazardous to health. Zero to 10 parts per million of CO requires no action for healthy individuals, Maiden explained.

Employees and patients were evaluated by EMTs for respiratory issues in ambulances in the building’s parking lot. Two employees were taken by ambulance to Yale New Haven Hospital’s facility on Goose Lane in Guilford, where they were placed on oxygen for two hours and released, said Maiden.

The building was initially expected to re-open by Monday, Nov. 26, but three crews of workers made repairs to the ventilation system and a test by the fire department cleared the building for re-opening at around 12:30 p.m. today.

Maiden was pleased with the response and resolution.

“Four and a half hours after the problem was noted, it was resolved,” he said. “They did a great job.”

The building is leased by Yale New Haven Hospital (YNNH). Located there are a number of practices, including YNNH heart and vascular outpatient services, Orthopedic Associates, Quest Diagnostics, and Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Centers.