Nine people were hospitalized Tuesday morning after being exposed to carbon monoxide inside a North Kildonan house.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) said crews were called to the home on Sharron Bay just before 9:30 a.m. for a medical call.
Once there, the alarms worn by WFPS crews found carbon monoxide readings of 300 parts per million (PPM).
“Three hundred parts per million is a significant reading,” said Scott Wilkinson, WFPS Deputy Chief. “At over 200 PPM you start seeing symptoms of nausea or other medical impacts. Once we get over 400 PPM you can see significant impacts of potential fatalities within hours, so this was a serious level of exposure.”
Once it was established that this was a carbon monoxide exposure more WFPS units were called, and paramedics took everyone inside the home to hospital in unstable condition.
Wilkinson said WFPS is one of few services in Canada using detectors worn by crews responding to medical calls.
“That was able to alert them to the issue and help provide safety for themselves and for the inhabitants of the home,” he said.
Carbon monoxide is generally known as the ‘silent killer’ because it has no taste, colour, or smell and inhaling it can lead to serious illness or death.
According to safety information from the city, carbon monoxide can be emitted when fossil fuels do not burn up all the way. It can also be a byproduct of a broken heating system, improper ventilation of a wood-burning stove, a blocked furnace exhaust, or a vehicle idling in a closed space.
“The only way to know if carbon monoxide is present is to have a working carbon monoxide alarm to alert you,” reads a City of Winnipeg media release from Tuesday afternoon. “All homes in Winnipeg should have working carbon monoxide alarms installed on each floor that are tested regularly.”
If you suspect you have been exposed to carbon monoxide or if a carbon monoxide alarm goes off, the advice is to immediately get out of the building and call 911.
The home in this case was ventilated, and investigators from Manitoba Hydro were brought in to find the cause and ensure the home is safe.
Wilkinson said it is not known if this home had a working carbon monoxide detector.
Five children among patients
A spokesperson for Shared Health told CTV News Winnipeg three patients were received at Health Sciences Centre’s (HSC) emergency department and five were received at HSC Children’s related to this incident.
“All of these patients are currently in stable condition,” the statement reads.
Shared Health did not respond to inquiries about a ninth patient. However, WFPS said its records show nine patients were transported to hospital.
Cause confirmed by Manitoba Hydro
A spokesperson from Manitoba Hydro told CTV News Winnipeg service crews found that a vent connector from the furnace to the chimney was significantly corroded, allowing the flue gases into the home.
“This would be dangerous in any case, but we also found that the furnace was producing significantly higher levels of carbon monoxide than is normal,” the statement reads.
The spokesperson said no other issues were found, the gas has been shut off and the property owner is expected to make the necessary repairs using a qualified heating dealer.
Hydro will come back to inspect the furnace before it can be turned on again.
