Several thousand people, some dressed as animal characters, were evacuated from a Hyatt hotel in suburban Rosemont when an “intentional” chlorine gas incident at the hotel, which was hosting the Midwest FurFest convention, sent 19 people to hospitals early Sunday.
The incident happened around 12:40 a.m. at the Hyatt, at 9300 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Rosemont, according to a statement from the Rosemont Public Safety Department. First responders were called to investigate a noxious odor that was spreading across the ninth floor of the hotel, where a high level of chlorine gas was discovered in the air, the statement said.
Nineteen people were transported to nearby hospitals after complaining of nausea, dizziness and other medical problems, according to the statement. All people inside the building were temporarily evacuated and sheltered at nearby facilities, including the Donald E. Stephens Convention
Disrupted was an annual weekendlong convention called Midwest FurFest, which celebrates art, literature and performance based around anthropomorphic animals, draws thousands of people every year, according to the Midwest FurFest website.
Hazardous materials technicians found the source of the chlorine gas, what appeared to be powdered chlorine, in a stairwell at the ninth floor, according to a statement from police.
Technicians decontaminated the area and after conducting several tests deemed the area safe within about two hours. People were allowed back into the building about 4:20 a.m., according to a statement from FurFest. Some conventiongoers, some of whom were dressed up as animal characters, stood outside of the building. Hundreds more escaped the chilly weather at other buildings.
"At 1:10 AM the entire hotel was evacuated, first across Bryn Mawr Ave. in front of the Hyatt as per Rosemont Fire Department’s standard procedures, then when it became apparent that the wait would take longer, the Stephens Convention Center was opened to provide warmth and shelter to our guests," according to the FurFest statement.
Thomas Zell, 27, of Arlington Heights, said he was outside with a group of people near the hotel entrance when he saw people being evacuated. Zell said he has been attending FurFest and other conventions in the Hyatt hotel for several years.
“A lot of people thought this was just someone pulling the fire alarm,” Zell said, adding that it is not uncommon for someone to trigger the alarm at such events. “But it was serious this time,” Zell said.
Zell and others said many conventiongoers were dancing and partying in groups in different parts of the hotel when the incident happened.
Iowa residents Morgan Smejkal and Chris Delaney said they did not hear the alarms in the part of the building they were in and found out they needed to evacuate through hotel staff and after receiving texts from their friends.
“It was shocking,” said Smejkal while standing outside the hotel dressed in a red panda animal suit.
The couple said they smelled chlorine as they walked out the building.
“It was like when you walk into a pool. It was pungent,” said Delaney.
The manner by which the substance, which was consistent with powdered chlorine, was released “suggests an intentional act,” according the statement from Rosemont police, who are investigating the incident as a criminal matter.
FurFest organizers said in the statement that neither they nor the hotel would offer refunds because the incident was “an unforeseen criminal act.”
Still, organizers said in the statement late Sunday morning that the FurFest would go on.
“As we wake up today we want to continue to provide the best possible convention that we can, despite the trying circumstances,” according to the statement. “We ask you to continue to be patient, and remember that the volunteers who make Midwest FurFest happen intend to give 110% to make sure that the fun, friendship, and good times of Midwest FurFest 2014 overshadow last night’s unfortunate incident.”
