Frederic Cesbron, right and Maxim Durand, walk on the street outside the Hyatt Regency O’Hare hotel on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, in Rosemont, Ill. Thousands of people were evacuated after a chlorine gas leak at the hotel hosting the 2014 Midwest FurFest convention, where attendees dress as animals to celebrate art, literature and performance, in suburban Rosemont early Sunday morning.ROSEMONT, Ill. – Chlorine gas sickened several people and forced the evacuation of thousands of guests from a suburban Chicago hotel early Sunday, including many dressed in cartoonish animal costumes for an annual furries convention who were ushered across the street to a convention center hosting a dog show.
Nineteen people who became nauseous or dizzy were treated at local hospitals, and at least 18 were released shortly thereafter. Within hours, emergency workers decontaminated the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and allowed people back inside. Six-foot-tall rabbits, foxes and dragons poured into the lobby, chatting and giving each other high paws.
“I think we’ll recover from this,” said Kit McCreedy, a 28-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, his fox tail swinging behind him as he headed back inside for the last day of the Midwest FurFest. “People are tired but they’re still full of energy.”
The source of the gas was apparently chlorine powder left in a ninth-floor stairwell at the hotel, according to the Rosemont Public Safety Department. Investigators believe the gas was created intentionally and are treating it as a criminal matter.
McCreedy was one of a few thousand attendees for the Furfest, also called “Anthrocon,” in which attendees celebrate animals that are anthropomorphic – meaning they’ve been given human characteristics – through art, literature and performance. Many of the attendees, who refer to themselves as “furries,” wore cartoonish animal outfits.