Nearly 30 sent to hospital as business park, day care evacuated

At least 28 people were taken to area hospitals after an odor midday Monday led to an evacuation in an industrial park in Hanover Township, Northampton County, Colonial Regional police and a Northampton County dispatch supervisor said. The odor was reported...

Nearly 30 sent to hospital as business park, day care evacuated

At least 28 people were taken to area hospitals after an odor midday Monday led to an evacuation in an industrial park in Hanover Township, Northampton County, Colonial Regional police and a Northampton County dispatch supervisor said.

The odor was reported at Travel Impressions, 90 S. Commerce Way, Deputy Chief James DePalma said. The first dispatch was at 11:46 a.m., the supervisor said said. A day care center at the same address was evacuated as well, DePalma said.

It was possible more people would be taken to the hospital, authorities said.

Gas company UGI was on-scene and had located and fixed a small leak on the gas service, but that wasn't the cause of the odor, spokesman Joe Swope said. There were no interior gas leaks, he added. The problem possibly was in a rooftop unit that belongs to the property owner, Swope said.

A number of people complained of being dizzy, DePalma said.

It happened in the business park off Route 512 and Brodhead Road, north of Route 22. Between 300 and 500 people were removed from buildings, Swope said.

Children from the Creative Kids Club day care center were loaded into a bus to keep warm, a Northampton County emergency dispatch supervisor said.

The township fire department and EMS responded to the call as did Bethlehem Township EMS.

Check back with lehighvalleylive.com as we update the situation from the scene.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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