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Chemical leak at Fresno airport sickens four, fire crew says. May have been coolant

Beautiful skies appear above the terminal at Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Friday, March 20, 2020.
Beautiful skies appear above the terminal at Fresno Yosemite International Airport on Friday, March 20, 2020. ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

Multiple people were sickened Tuesday by what appeared to be a chemical leak at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, fire officials confirmed.

A hazardous material response was initiated by Fresno Fire Department around 8 a.m. when people near the Starbucks station in the terminal felt affected by fumes, fire officials said.

The fire crews responded with emergency personnel, who assessed four patients, officials said. They were transported to an area hospital as a precaution.

The hazardous materials team tracked the issue back to what appeared to be a pool of leaked refrigeration coolant, fire crews said.

The team also was assessing the airport to see if the leak had spread.

All four people were employees of the Starbucks stand, according to Vikkie Calderon, the airport’s public information officer.

No flights or passengers were disrupted by the incident, she said.

“The situation is being investigated and there are crews on scene to investigate the cause,” she said.

This story was originally published July 11, 2023 at 10:36 AM.

Thaddeus Miller
Merced Sun-Star
Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.
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