Employees and customers have been cleared to return to a Midtown Atlanta shopping center after evacuating Monday morning as fire officials looked into a suspected carbon monoxide leak.

The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department later determined the leak was carbon dioxide from a refrigerator, officials said.

At least two people complained of headaches, according to the fire department. Those two individuals declined to go to the hospital via ambulance, department spokesperson Anaré Holmes said.

“It is now all clear because they ventilated the structure, and management is handling the issue moving forward,” Holmes said.

Two restaurants, a Trader Joe’s grocery store and an animal hospital within the Midtown Promenade mall in the 900 block of Monroe Drive were evacuated, officials said.

Trader Joe’s, which had not yet opened at the time of the incident, delayed its opening due to the evacuation.

Trader Joe's employees wait for the all-clear after evacuating the store due to a carbon dioxide leak in the Midtown Atlanta shopping center on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

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Credit: Ben Hendren

One breakfast restaurant, Snooze, and Intown Animal Hospital were open at the time of the incident and were evacuated by fire crews. Another restaurant was also evacuated but had not yet been open to the public.

Atlanta Gas Light also responded to the scene and determined the incident was not related to its natural gas service, a spokesperson said.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

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