Bunnings Warehouse Geraldton evacuated after gas leak, man in his 40s taken to hospital for gas inhalation

A man in his 40s has been rushed to hospital for gas inhalation after a gas leak at Bunnings Warehouse in Geraldton. The store closed to the public on Wednesday afternoon after emergency services were called to attend the incident at 2.15pm. Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed 12 9kg LPG cylinders were found to be leaking at the business, located on North West Coastal Highway. St John WA confirmed a man in his 40s was taken to Geraldton Regional Hospital for gas inhalation just before 3pm. He has since been discharged from hospital. Four crews of career and volunteer firefighters from Geraldton attended and staff and customers inside the business were evacuated. Firefighters blocked entrances and nearby roads and police managed the exclusion zone as firefighters worked to contain the incident. A DFES spokesperson confirmed a gas contractor attended and removed all the gas cylinders as a precaution. Bunnings staff were sent home and the business remained closed for the afternoon. Bunnings regional manager David Di Marco said the safety of team members and customers was the top priority and an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the leaks. “We temporarily closed our Geraldton warehouse yesterday afternoon due to leaking gas bottles. We thank the fire brigade for their assistance in the safe removal of these bottles from our store,” he said. “A formal investigation is under way with our supplier to determine the cause of the leak.” The store reopened to customers on Thursday morning.