Crime & Safety

Steam Leak Causes Alarm at Lake Forest's Hospira

A suspected gas leak resulted in a middle-of-the-night evacuation as firefighters from Lake Forest and other nearby departments responded.

A steam leak triggered an alarm that sent 25 firefighters from five area departments to Lake Forest’s Hospira headquarters, 375 Field Drive, early Wednesday morning.

When a fire alarm sounded shortly after 2 a.m., officials first thought there was a liquid nitrogen leak in Hospira’s third-floor laboratory, Lake Forest Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Issel said in a press release. Hospira manufactures and supplies injectable drugs and other equipment to hospitals.

Firefighters evacuated the building until Hospira staff could determine whether the leaking substance was gas or steam. It was later determined that a high pressure steam pipe was leaking.

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The situation was under control at 4 a.m., Issel said. Lake Forest was assisted by firefighters from the Countryside, Knollwood, Lake Bluff and Lincolnshire departments.

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