By Alex Ginsberg
Antifreeze poured out of a broken pipe inside the Bally's gym in Jamaica Center Saturday morning, sending customers scrambling off their Stairmasters and into the street and causing traffic backups in one of Queens' busiest commercial districts.
Some 60 firefighters and hazardous materials specialists worked to contain the 400-gallon leak, which was detected at about 10:20 a.m, the Fire Department said. There were no injuries, but three stores in the complex – Bally's, Walgreens Pharmacy and Old Navy – had to be evacuated, 50th Battalion Chief Mike Wilkinson said at the scene.
According to Sara Matheu, a Bally's spokeswoman at the company's Chicago headquarters, a gym manager noticed the green liquid seeping into the free weight area and immediately called the Fire Department. Firefighters on the scene then evacuated the entire club.
Matheu said only the weight room was affected by the leak and the entire club was reopened by Monday afternoon.
“Since Saturday, we've been working with the agencies to make sure all the appropriate steps have been taken to clean up the area,” she said.
At Walgreens, store manager Naveen Mohindra said he noticed a green liquid in the back storeroom.
“It was coming down like a shower,” he said, noting the substance was accompanied by a foul odor.
Mohindra used the public address system to evacuate the store, but did not have to call the Fire Department because firefighters were already on scene.
There was only slight leakage in Old Navy, Wilkinson said, but that store was evacuated as a precaution.
Other outlets in the multi-story complex, including Gap and the Jamaica Multiplex, said the Fire Department had inspected the premises and pronounced them safe.
“I spoke to the Fire Department,” said Belkis Rodriguez, one of the managers at the Gap, where a steady stream of customers continued to make purchases even as emergency workers milled about outside. “They told me there was no reason to be concerned.”
A dozen Fire Department units responded to the emergency, the FDNY said, in addition to numerous police vehicles and ambulances, all of which completely stopped traffic for a one-block stretch of Jamaica Avenue for more than an hour.
By noon, however, traffic was again flowing and most emergency vehicles had left the scene.
Both the pharmacy and Old Navy reopened for business Sunday, employees said.
Reach reporter Alex Ginsberg by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
