Lunchtime customers at Red Lobster in Duluth had to leave their meals behind.  The popular Canal Park restaurant evacuated the building after a CO2 alarm started to go off around 12 Noon.

The exact cause of the carbon dioxide leak is still being investigated by the Duluth Fire Department, but there seemed to be an issue surrounding their fountain and tap lines.  According to our news partners at WDIO, "staff turned off the carbon dioxide tank, which feeds into the pop and beer lines Customers were employees were evacuated and the Duluth Fire Department was called to the scene".

While it appeared that the leak was central to the restaurant, other tenants in the building were notified. However, emergency crews didn't believe that there was immediate cause for concern other than in the restaurant itself.

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Assistant Fire Chief Denny Edwards shared that "some staff members had some mild symptoms from being exposed to the carbon dioxide and went for medical care to be evaluated".  Common symptoms of carbon dioxide headache, drowsiness at low levels of exposure.  At higher levels, more serious symptoms can occur - including confusion, increased heart beat and breathing, elevated blood pressure and increased arrhythmias.

According to the Duluth Fire Department's social media post about the incident, "one staff member went to the doctor after having headache-like symptoms to be checked as a precaution".  No other evacuated individuals needed or sought medical attention.

The restaurant remained closed during the evacuation; it reopened for dinner service around 4:30 PM after "clearing the scene with repair technicians who deemed the space safe for normal operations".

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