Operations returned to normal at Chewy’s distribution facility in Ocala on Tuesday after a morning evacuation that was initially feared to be a hazardous gas leak was officially confirmed to be a false alarm.
At just before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Chewy’s public relations team issued a clarification regarding the status of the building, located at 3380 NW 35th Ave Road.
According to the company, a thorough post-evacuation inspection confirmed that the facility is entirely safe and that no environmental hazards were ever present.
“Earlier today our team evacuated the building due to a false alarm. Our team has confirmed that there was no carbon monoxide leak and resumed operations as normal,” reads part of a brief statement issued by Chewy’s PR team to Ocala-News.com.
Ocala-News.com was initially notified of the closure just before 10:45 a.m. after facility management distributed an internal safety alert directly to team members. That initial message explicitly stated the building was closed due to a carbon monoxide leak and warned that no personnel would be allowed inside while safety teams worked to resolve the issue.
A large contingent of first responders, including several fire trucks and EMS vehicles, responded to the distribution center in the ensuing hours.
On-site security personnel locked down the perimeter of the property, preventing traffic from entering or leaving, while paramedics evaluated evacuated employees who were waiting out on the grass.
With the system cleared and the building deemed entirely safe by safety personnel, all shifts have officially returned to the building and resumed their regular operational schedules.