Shoppers and workers at the Costco store in Kirkland were evacuated Thursday when a refrigeration pipe exploded, spewing coolant in gas form, the Kirkland Fire Department said.
The accident occurred in the warehouse area near the loading dock. All of the coolant in the refrigeration system drained out of the six-inch pipe and turned into gas.
A HazMat team was called, but levels of the gas were nowhere near hazardous levels, said Kirkland Fire spokesman Ken Henderson.
Costco then called in a refrigeration technician to fix the problem, Henderson said.