Freon leak temporarily closes supermarket in Savannah

The Foster’s Food Fair supermarket located at Countryside Shopping Village in Savannah was evacuated and closed for about an hour Tuesday morning due to a Freon gas leak. No injuries were reported.

People in the store were moved outside at about 9.15am while the leak was fixed. The store in Grand Cayman was able to reopen about an hour later.

“I know there has been much speculation surrounding the closing of our Savannah store this morning. The store was temporarily closed for about an hour as there was a Freon gas leak. To ensure the safety of our customers and employees and also ensuring they are provided with the best customer service and shopping experience possible, we found it necessary to close the store until that situation was rectified. The store has reopened and will resume regular business hours,” said Ayiesha DeCoteau, marketing manager of Foster’s Food Fair.

She said no one was hurt and that the unpleasant smell of the Freon was the major concern.

“No emergency services had to be called. Though there was some inconvenience for our customers that was the concern, as many people come here for their breakfast and we had to ask them to briefly leave the store.”

The Foster’s Food Fair location normally opens at 7am.

According to Environment, Health and Safety Online, “The most serious side effect of Freon exposure would occur at the time of initial exposure. People who have a history of heart problems should be very concerned about Freon because it can cause cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), and palpitations at very high concentrations. For people who have a history of heart problems, being exposed to small amounts of Freon from leaking appliances should not pose any significant health risk.”