5 people treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after Dartmouth incident
Halifax Regional Fire official says crews were notified after hospital staff treated patient
Residents were evacuated from an apartment building in Dartmouth, N.S., early Sunday due to high levels of carbon monoxide, with a total of five people treated at hospital.
Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency district Chief Stephen Turner said fire crews received a call at 1:08 a.m. AT from medical personnel at the Dartmouth General Hospital.
He said there was a patient there with high levels of carbon monoxide, which prompted the staff to notify the fire department about potential carbon monoxide exposure.
Turner said fire crews went to the Albro Lake Road apartment building, which was found to have high levels of carbon monoxide. Residents were evacuated from the building — it's unclear how many — but four people were taken to hospital for treatment, said Turner.
He said the building was ventilated and people were allowed to return to their units.
Source of leak
In a statement, the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters association said the source of the leak was in the exhaust system of a boiler in the 18-unit apartment building.
The statement said the five people treated had experienced mild to moderate poisoning.
Turner said carbon monoxide is an odourless gas.
"We recommend that everybody have a carbon monoxide detector in any building that has potential to have a carbon monoxide exposure, so that you can ensure that you are warned in advance," he said.
Carbon monoxide warning signs
In its statement, the firefighters' association recommended that people with gas-burning appliances, such as furnaces, propane fireplaces or barbecues, install carbon monoxide detectors on every level of a home.
It said common symptoms people experience from carbon monoxide exposure include headache, dizziness, nausea and confusion.
