The Giant, Celebrity Deli and MyEyeDr in Cabin John mall closed at 2 p.m. today after customers and employees reported a gas-like smell, which caused them to feel dizzy and light-headed.
EMT’s evaluated 14 people, while only six were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The fire department originally thought that the smell was from a gas leak in the air conditioning, but that was ruled out after checking all the pipes and connections in the store’s cooling system.
“They are still unsure what the cause was,” fire marshall Debbie Tuitt said. “It was not a gas leak, though.”
Giant’s store manager reopened the store after they threw away affected foods and cleaned up the floor.
The store manager called 911 at 1:20 p.m. About 50 firefighters and the hazardous material team arrived to evaluate the situation. The emergency vehicles left the scene around 3:30 but the store remained closed until 5 p.m.