A man is in critical condition after being exposed to carbon dioxide at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the man and three other workers were in an electrical room that was emitting carbon dioxide. The gas is used to extinguish electrical fires by removing oxygen from an area.
LAFD reported that three people were able to make it out of the room and are OK, but a 36-year-old man went into cardiac arrest.
First responders at the airport performed CPR on the man, officials said.
“The good news is that individual had a return of spontaneous circulation. What that means, they’re breathing. Their blood is pumping on their own now," said LAFD Capt. Erik Scott.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he is reportedly in critical condition.
Scott said the leak did not occur in an area where passengers would frequent. However, Terminal 8 was shut down for much of the morning.
It was reopened before noon PT. LAX tweeted that the building was deemed safe.
"We thank our firefighters for their rapid response and our passengers for their patience during the hazmat investigation," LAX tweeted.