Parts of two downtown streets were closed for three hours Friday afternoon after a coolant leak at the University of Maryland Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. A contractor working in the basement broke a valve to a refrigeration system in a tank that holds coolant gas, Sharon Boston said. Because the gas can be an irritant, a Fire Department hazardous-materials team vented the gas outside as a precaution, the spokeswoman said. Lombard Street was closed between Penn and Greene streets, and Greene was closed between Lombard and Baltimore streets to accommodate emergency equipment.

- Baltimore Sun staff