Carbon monoxide leak forces evacuation of Kennewick Costco shoppers

The Kennewick Costco Wholesale store was evacuated briefly Thursday afternoon after a pipe near the produce section leaked carbon monoxide into the huge warehouse.

Although carbon monoxide can be deadly, the concentrations were very low and no injuries or illnesses were reported, said Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael.

The problem was traced to a pipe in the cooling system near the fruit and vegetable section in the Kennewick store, 8505 W. Gage Blvd. Michael said Costco had repair crews on site who addressed the problem.

The incident was reported at 1:30 p.m. and the store reopened about 3 p.m.

The Kennewick store is the lone Costco serving the Tri-Cities. A second store opens Aug. 8 in Richland’s Queensgate area.

This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM.

Wendy Culverwell

Tri-City Herald

Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications in Washington and Oregon. She earned a degree in English and economics from the University of Puget Sound. Support my work with a digital subscription