MASON CITY – A hazardous material situation at a Mason City hotel sent at least a dozen persons to Mercy Hospital.
The incident began at about noon Sunday at the Holiday Inn Express on the city’s west side along Highway 122. The hotel was evacuated. At least three persons with the worst symptoms of inhaling a cocktail of hazardous chemicals was transported to Mercy Hospital. Others were being transported by private vehicle with lesser symptoms.
A “triage” unit was set up in the parking lot to treat persons who claimed to have a burning sensation in their throats. Traffic was backed up and general confusion ruled for some time.
NIT is told that employees at the Holiday Inn Express accidentally mixed chemicals improperly and the hotel was inundated with a chlorine gas, leading to the evacuation and hospitalizations.
