Leaking refrigerant closes Kmart store

CHARLESTON - They didn't need the airboat after all.

Charleston firefighters initially called for the county's airboat Thursday in hopes of using its massive fan to blow a thick chemical cloud out of the Kmart store at 1535 Savannah Highway.

Pat Ishmael was shopping inside the store about 10:30 a.m. when she noticed a heavy fog drift toward her from the back of the store.

"This mist just started heavily floating throughout the entire store," Ishmael said. "It was just a heavy mist."

Ishmael said the fog made her feel light-headed and gave her a headache. Firefighters evacuated the store and the Sears Parts & Repair Center store next door.

Ishmael and about a dozen customers and employees were evaluated by Charleston County EMS paramedics beneath a tent. No one was taken to a hospital, according to Mark Ruppel, public information director.

She was eventually allowed to leave.

"Once you get out of the store it's fine," she said.

Firefighters and members of the Hazardous Materials team set up in the parking lot and developed a strategy. Eventually a handful of firefighters entered the store wearing normal gear.

Ruppel said they determined that the fog was caused by a chlorine-based refrigerant. Another team of firefighters went in to attempt to shut down the leak.

At one point, firefighters requested the airboat so they could set it up at the front of the store to push the chemical cloud out the back, but Ruppel said they turned off the leaky unit and vented the building enough that air quality levels improved and the airboat wasn't needed.

The building was turned back over to Kmart personnel by 3 p.m., he said.

Reach Andy Paras at 937-5589, aparas@postandcourier.com or on twitter at twitter.com/andyparas.