3 Hospitalized After Chemical Accident At Woburn Red Robin

WOBURN, MA — The Woburn Red Robin was evacuated Tuesday evening after a hazmat situation resulting from a mixture of cleaning agents, officials said. Police received a call around 4:30 p.m. Three employees were hospitalized as a precaution, the fire chief said.

The restaurant was evacuated after two pails of cleaning agent were mixed in the kitchen area, creating a reaction. The fire department called in the state hazmat team, which is on the scene and preparing to enter the building.

By the time the fire department was on the scene, everyone had already evacuated the building. Woburn Fire Chief Steve Adgate said that his department responded seriously in light of the recent incident in Burlington. Two weeks ago, a worker at a Burlington Buffalo Wild Wings was killed in a chemical accident caused by a mixture of cleaning agents.

"As far as what chemicals were involved in this, we'll make that determination after. It could have been the same cleaning agent from just two different containers," Adgate said. "All we know was that the report from the employee was that it created a significant reaction whichforced the evacuation of the building, and then we took over."

The three employees who went to a local hospital were not showing any symptoms suggesting they might be poisoned, he said.

"You should never mix anything like that together, but we don't know what truly happened at this particular incident," the chief said.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-254-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.