Trending Topics

Hazmat spill closes Calif. emergency room

The LAFD responded to the Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, where officials were forced to close the ER after a damaged pipe caused a liquid oxygen spill

By News Staff

LOS ANGELES — A fire department responded to a hospital hazmat spill that forced the closure of the emergency room.

CBS Los Angeles reported that an LAFD hazmat crew responded to the Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital after a damaged pipe caused a liquid oxygen spill.

Fire department officials said a pipe from a 2,000-gallon tank was sheared and most of the oxygen inside spilled out.

According to ABC7, the spill created a shoulder-high vapor cloud in the parking lot, causing ambulance tires and portions of walls and streets to freeze slightly.

Hospital officials said no one was harmed in the incident, but some patients were transferred by ambulance to another hospital. The hospital’s ambulance bay was also impacted by the spill.

The ER reopened about six hours after the spill occurred.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU