4 days ago
6 hospitalized, San Bernardino County apartment complex partially evacuated after carbon monoxide exposure
Six people, including a child, where hospitalized and a Fontana apartment building partially evacuated due to carbon monoxide exposure on Monday, according to San Bernardino County firefighters.
It happened in the early morning, when crews were dispatched to the 16500 block of Athol Street after receiving a report of a person who was in cardiac arrest, according to a release from SBC Fire.
"Crews arrived on scene and located one resident in bed who was unconscious and unresponsive, but not in cardiac arrest," the release said.
While they were treating the initial patient, firefighters found several other residents inside of the apartment unit that were displaying a series of symptoms like vomiting, weakness, unresponsiveness and altered levels of consciousness, the release said.
They immediately evacuated the occupants of the apartment and requested a hazardous materials team to the scene in order to conduct air monitoring and try to identify the source. They found "dangerous levels of carbon monoxide" inside of the apartment.
"Firefighters triaged, treated, and coordinated the transport of all six residents," firefighters said. The victims' ages ranged from five to 64 years old. All six were hospitalized in various conditions ranging from stable to critical.
Fontana police helped evacuate adjacent apartment units as a precaution, while officials with SoCalGas responded to help with the investigation, firefighters noted.
The source of the CO leak remains under investigation. Carbon Monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can be deadly.
Firefighters used the incident to remind people of the importance in installing and maintaining working carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.
