HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- A carbon monoxide leak that forced the evacuation of approximately 15 stores at Short Pump Town Center also injured at least two employees.
A Henrico Fire spokesperson confirmed alarms indicating elevated levels of carbon monoxide prompted the evacuation at the outdoor mall in Henrico County.
The Wednesday afternoon evacuation lasted about 45 minutes.
Shoppers were allowed to return to some stores starting at about 2:30 p.m., the fire department spokesperson said.
Sources tell CBS 6 that construction at a store inside the mall caused the leak.
Amy Towne
Amy Towne, the manager at the luggage store Tumi, said she was rushed to the emergency room after falling ill at work.
"Around noon-ish I wasn’t feeling well. I was feeling really tired, dizzy, lightheaded, and nauseous," Towne explained. "It wasn’t until the fire department showed up in the store, which was after 1:30 p.m. that we were told there were high levels of carbon monoxide in our building and we had to evacuate."
Towne spent the night at the hospital and was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. She was released and allowed to recover at home Thursday morning.
"It’s kind of an eye-opener as sometimes you have to take your symptoms a little bit more seriously instead of just passing it off as I need to have a snack," she stated.
The incident remained under investigation.
This is a developing story. Witnesses can send news tips, photos, and video here.
