Cause of ‘Strange Odor’ That Forced Evacuation of Kingston Mall Identified
An irritating odor at Independence Mall in Kingston that sent 10 people to the hospital and forced the mall to be evacuated Tuesday has been blamed on a refrigerant leak.
Kingston Deputy Fire Chief Mark Douglass told Boston.com Wednesday that the district hazmat team on scene detected residual refrigerant gasses Tuesday in the area of multiple mall food court establishments. A specific source of the leak has not been located, according to Douglass.
After ventilating the area with high-volume fans for more than an hour, the air was retested late Tuesday and found to be of excellent quality, Douglass said.
After consulting with the state board of health, a joint determination was made that the environment was safe, said Douglass, adding that all open food that was potentially exposed to a contaminated source was disposed of.
The mall reopened Wednesday morning.
A witness told WBZ Tuesday that she experienced a “sawdusty feeling’’ while breathing, adding that “everyone was coughing.’’ She said mall security guards instructed shoppers to leave the building.
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