Firefighters called to Joey Lansdowne for chemical leak

Joey Lansdowne is seen in this undated photo.

Ottawa firefighters rushed to the scene of a popular Lansdowne restaurant Sunday night after a Freon leak caused some workers to feel ill.

The call from Poison Control came in around 6:15 p.m. Sunday, asking emergency crews to come to Joey Lansdowne.

Some staff members were experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting and confusion when the first crews arrived at the scene, Ottawa Fire Services said in a news release.

Paramedics said two women and one man in their 20s were assessed at the scene for mild symptoms, then released.

Firefighters confirmed there were no patrons in the restaurant at the time, just staff members.

Ottawa Fire Hazmat technicians detected moderate to high levels of Freon in the restaurant. The source was a small bar fridge that was damaged, fire officials said.

Freon is a brand name that describes a number of gases or liquids generally used as refrigerants.

Firefighters retrieved staff members' belongings and confirmed there was no Freon in the neighbouring units.

The restaurant was ordered closed until the issue was resolved. When CTV News contacted the restaurant on Monday, an employee who answered the phone said the restaurant's managers were in a meeting and would call back.