Edinburgh Sheraton evacuated amid chemical scare
Nearly 160 guests and staff were evacuated from Edinburgh's Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa following a chemical leak scare on Wednesday (13 July).
Emergency services were called to the 269-bedroom hotel at around 1.10pm following a chemical incident on the third floor. An accidental mixture of cleaning chemicals produced a non-toxic gas that caused a number of people to feel unwell after inhalation. According to hotel officials, the cleaning products had been hired from a third-party supplier for a one-off deep clean.
A small number of staff were treated at the scene after breathing in the fumes. Two people were taken to hospital; it has not been confirmed whether they were staff or guests. One has since been discharged.
As well as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service were also in attendance.
Guests were allowed back into the hotel's restaurant and spa shortly after the evacuation, and were given access to bedrooms two hours later.
A spokesperson for the hotel said: "Guest floors were evacuated due to an incident with cleaning products which caused non-toxic fumes. The hotel team worked diligently with the local fire brigade to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused."
Group manager Alan Horberry, SFRS incident commander, said: "Firefighters in breathing apparatus ensured the building was safely evacuated. On scene tests identified the nature of the substance involved and that it had been confined to the room where the incident originated."
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