NUMC oxygen leak closes Hempstead Turnpike

A liquid oxygen leak at Nassau University Medical Center prompted emergency personnel to redirect traffic on Hempstead Turnpike and shut down the hospital emergency room.

Around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning the East Meadow Fire Department responded to the hospital emergency. First on the scene, Chief Walter Griffin, Jr. sounded a second alarm and called in the Nassau County Hazardous Material team when construction workers confirmed the leak.

Construction workers were replacing the hospital’s two 11,000-pound oxygen tanks on the southeastern side when a valve broke releasing potentially hazard levels into the atmosphere, Chief Griffin said.

To ensure patient safety, NUMC diverted emergency vehicles to nearby hospitals while the leak ensued. “It could have been a very dangerous situation,” said Fire Department Chief Carl Pugliese.

Five nearby neighbors on Clearmeadow Drive were temporarily evacuated from their homes and local businesses were notified.

As a precautionary measure, fire chiefs Griffin and Pugliese asked the residents to close their windows for the day.

For nearly one hour the leak caused emergency personal to block off Hempstead Turnpike between Carman Avenue and Clearmeadow Drive while the Hazardous Materials response team assessed and controlled the situation.