One of Disney World’s most popular resort hotels was placed under evacuation orders on Wednesday because of a potentially dangerous chemical reaction.
A brief chemical scare was reported by staff members at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson from the Reedy Creek Fire Department confirmed to FOX 35 News. According to the spokesperson, no cast members or guests were injured during the incident.
People magazine reported that guests staying at Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort were forced to evacuate the property on Wednesday morning following a call to the Reedy Creek Fire Department for assistance after a mixture of two chemicals in the kitchen of the resort hotel produced gasses that could have potentially posed health hazards to those in the area.
Details about the Disney World employee responsible for the improper combination of chemicals are not available, and there’s no evidence to suggest that the act was intended to create a danger for anyone else or that the act was malicious in any way. There has also been no word about the types of chemicals that were combined or why they were mixed in the first place.
Emergency vehicles from the Reedy Creek Fire Department were seen in the parking lot of the resort hotel, and guests reported that the Disney World Resort monorail bypassed its usual stop in front of the Polynesian Resort while firefighters responded to the call for emergency assistance.
Emergency personnel with the Reedy Creek Fire Department were initially called to the Walt Disney World Resort hotel to investigate the hotel kitchen staff’s reports of a possible chemical exposure following the improper mix of two chemicals.
WESH Orlando Channel 2 reports that Eryka Washingon, spokeswoman for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, formerly referred to as the Reedy Creek Improvement District, explained that an employee of the resort hotel was mixing chemicals in the kitchen area at the Polynesian Village Resort–an action that resulted in the production of gasses that were perceived as potentially dangerous to cast members and guests.
The kitchen was immediately evacuated as a precaution, and several employees underwent medical evaluations with first responders onsite. By 11:00 a.m., officials announced that the situation had been cleared.
The Reedy Creek Fire Department spokesperson confirmed that an employee at the resort hotel had mixed chemicals that should not have been combined, and the resulting reaction from that combination forced employees to evacuate the kitchen so that firefighters could assess the scene.
More details will be shared as they become available.
