Gas leak that forced Des Plaines hotel evacuation sealed

A leak in a gas main in Des Plaines that forced the evacuation of a hotel near River Road and Touhy Avenue has been fixed, fire officials said Thursday afternoon.

A construction crew working near the intersection broke a 2-inch natural gas main right in front of the hotel at approximately 5:45 a.m., said Nicor spokesman Richard Caragol.

Firefighters went door-to-door in the hotel at 9:45 a.m. to evacuate between 60 and 70 people as the source of the leak was facing the building where air conditioners could have sucked the gas indoors, said Nick Trivedi, manager of the Comfort Inn O’Hare.

“Because the gas had infiltrated the hotel, fire personnel evacuated the Comfort Inn,” said Des Plaines Fire Chief Alan Wax.

Touhy Avenue was shut down in both directions just west of River Road from about 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., Wax said.

Power to the hotel was cut and the hotel was ventilated, fire officials said.

The gas main leaked until approximately 1:30 p.m., when crews were able dig down on both sides of the pipe and pinch the leak, Wax said.

Hotel guests were asked to wait at a nearby restaurant, where they were treated to a free meal while crews worked on the leak, Trivedi said.

A number of people, who were scheduled to stay at the hotel and were planning on being picked up by a hotel shuttle, were stranded at O’Hare International Airport because the hotel’s computer system was down, Trivedi said.

They were reimbursed by the hotel for cab fares, he said.