19 people hospitalised after possibly intentional chlorine leak at furry convention

A chemical spill at the O’Hare Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosemont, Chicago, hospitalised 19 people at around 1am on Sunday morning. People complained of a strong chlorine-like smell on the 8th and 9th floors of the hotel.



Several hotel guests complained of nausea and dizziness. Several fire trucks and ambulances from Rosemont and surrounding suburbs were called to the scene, as well as the Hazmat and decontamination units.

Thousands of people were evacuated from the hotel, which was packed with people attending the Midwest FurFest, which celebrates art, literature and performance based around anthropomorphic animals. Those attendees were sent into the streets wearing furry animal costumes. Firefighters discovered the source of the chlorine odour, was a broken container in a stairwell on the 9th floor.



Investigators say the powered chlorine was released “intentionally” and the incident is being investigated by the Rosemont Police Department. Guests were allowed to return to the hotel after the scene was secured at about 3am. Organizers said in the statement late on Sunday morning that the FurFest would go on.

With news video.