Five employees of Carlos1800 Mexican Grill & Cantina in Winthrop who were hospitalized last week due to carbon monoxide poisoning have fully recovered, and the cause of the gas leak at the restaurant has been found and fixed, restaurant owner Carlos Perez said this week.
“A mechanical issue led to the problem,” Perez said. He said he is working with the state Department of Labor and Industries to make sure it is corrected. The restaurant will reopen after repairs and inspections are completed, including installation of carbon monoxide detectors, Perez said.
One employee was kept in a Seattle hospital overnight for observation, but the others were treated and released, he said.
The employees, including Perez’s daughter, were flown from the North Cascades Smokejumper Base by helicopter and plane to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee on the morning of March 7, and then transferred to Seattle.
No customers were in the restaurant during the incident.
