[JustPiper]

Hazmat Emergency At Palmer House Hilton

CHICAGO -- Emergency crews are responding to the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago Monday afternoon.

NBC5 reports that the response is due to a freon leak at the hotel located at 17 East Monroe Street.

Up to 15 injuries were reported and 10 ambulances were sent to the scene.

Officials were going floor to floor to check on people at the hotel.

Firefighters were seen testing the air in the area, NBC5 reported.

Rogers described the scene as a "tremendous firefighter response," but said the pace was not "frenetic," but rather "methodical."

Roger and Barbara Jackson, of Rhinelander, Wis., were checking out of the hotel around 2:45 p.m. "It seems to be all the people who were working in the kitchen dining room area," who were overcome by some fumes, said Barbara Jackson. "Somebody got our luggage in a hurry."

http://www.nbc5.com/news/7968191/detail.html?rss=chi&psp=news

Palmer House evacuated
HazMat units are on the scene and firefighters are evacuating the Palmer House hotel downtown due to a suspected freon leak on Monday, police said.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/13palmer.html

[JustPiper]

No further details were available at this time

CLTV is saying How the freeon leaked is anyone's guess

[Velveeta]

Roger and Barbara Jackson, of Rhinelander, Wis., were checking out of the hotel around 2:45 p.m. "It seems to be all the people who were working in the kitchen dining room area," who were overcome by some fumes, said Barbara Jackson. "Somebody got our luggage in a hurry."

Excuse me?

This brainiac was worried about her luggage. Doh!