A downtown Chicago post office will reopen Monday after more than a dozen people were hospitalized over the weekend for heat-related illnesses.
The post office, located near Ohio and Dearborn Streets in the city's River North, was shut down Saturday morning after the air-conditioning went out, causing 13 people to be taken to area hospitals for heat exhaustion, heat stress, and dehydration, authorities said.
Another 23 refused medical treatment on the scene. Employees said it was at least 100 degrees inside the building when 10 ambulances were called to the scene around 8 a.m. Saturday. At least 135 employees were working at the facility at the time, according to a statement from the U.S. Postal Service.
The building was evacuated and dozens of postal workers were seen standing outside in the street, on the sidewalk and inside a cooling bus following the incident.
One postal worker said he saw two people vomiting, and a supervisor who had passed out taken away in an ambulance.
"We regret any inconvenience this suspension may cause for our customers," acting Postmaster Tangela Bush said in a statement. "Our first priority is to ensure our employees have a safe working environment. We will resume our Fort Dearborn operations at the earliest appropriate opportunity."
