2 to hospital after carbon monoxide leak in NE Calgary

Two people were taken to hospital Thursday morning following a carbon monoxide leak at a home in Calgary’s northeast.

Alex Kwan with the Calgary Fire Department says crews were called to Marbury Place NE shortly before 8:30 a.m. for reports of a CO incident.

He says paramedics were on scene for a medical call when their carbon monoxide alarms activated.

EMS were able to remove a patient from the front door area of the home and called the fire department.

Fire crews detected 500ppm of CO when they entered the home.

A search of the house revealed another person was still inside. They were removed from the house.

Both patients were assessed by paramedics and taken to the hospital.

Crews also shut down the furnace and ventilated the home.

Symptoms of CO exposure include headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, fatigue, and loss of consciousness.

The fire department is reminding Calgarians that working carbon monoxide alarm save lives and should be installed on every level of the home, especially near sleeping areas.

Normally hot air rises and gases, such as CO, rise upwards however during very cold weather conditions a thermal inversion occurs and the cold air acts like a “lid,” CFD says.

This “lid” keeps gases like carbon monoxide from rising and levels can build up quicker.

The most common source of CO gas in the home is a furnace, but any household appliances that run of fuels like natural gas and propane can be a source.

During cold weather, another form of CO is vehicles. Never idle vehicles inside enclosed spaces, such as garages or near air inlets to buildings.