WEST OCEAN CITY — A popular West Ocean City restaurant remained closed on Thursday after a carbon monoxide gas leak sent multiple individuals to the hospital.

Around 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Ocean City Communications received a call regarding a possible gas leak at the Applebee’s on Route 50 in West Ocean City. The Ocean City Fire Department responded and a high volume of carbon monoxide (CO) was detected. In all, six people were transported to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin for precaution and later treated and released.

Cathi Chuck, Vice President of Public Relations for the Rose Group, which owns and operates the Applebee’s in West Ocean City, said on Thursday those affected by the CO leak were employees and they were treated and released by Wednesday evening.

“We closed yesterday [Wednesday] afternoon due to a carbon monoxide leak in the building,” she said. “A few employees were taken to the hospital to make sure they were okay and they were released within a couple of hours.”

Chuck said the Applebee’s remained closed on Thursday and had no immediate plans for re-opening until the source of the leak was discovered.

“Our employees and our customers in the Ocean City area are our top priority, so we are continuing to work with local experts to see if there are elevated levels at this time,” she said. “We will remain closed until we can guarantee the site is secure for both employees and customers.”