A Massachusetts Buffalo Wild Wings was evacuated Thursday after a deadly chemical incident that left a worker dead and 10 more hospitalized.
“We’re just sitting there and then all of a sudden we start smelling the whatever it was, ammonia or whatever it smelled like, and all of a sudden the inside of my nose starts burning,” a customer said to WHDH. “We see the employees, like the waitstaff, everybody just flee.”
Officials said they arrived at the Burlington, Massachusetts, restaurant and found a male employee suffering from nausea after breathing in the cleaning agent fumes.
The unnamed male employee was reportedly attempting to remove the chemicals from the building after another employee got sick off the reaction. He was rushed to the hospital but later died.
Ten people checked themselves into area hospitals, and authorities urged anyone present during the chemical reaction to seek medical attention.
A company representative said in a statement to WHDH: “We are shocked and saddened to learn of this horrific accident at our franchise-owned sports bar and are working closely with our franchisee and the authorities while they conduct an investigation.”
The incident is under investigation. The restaurant will remain closed although there is no active threat to public safety.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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