Lewisville, ID – LEWISVILLE A toxic carbon monoxide leak at a potato cellar in Jefferson County sent 17 people to the hospital on Thursday afternoon.
At approximately 3:50 p.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from Ball Brothers Produce at 508 North 3470 East in Lewisville, which is located approximately 22 miles north of Idaho Falls.
Multiple employees at the company were complaining of headaches, nausea and coughing. Quick response units and fire crews from Lewisville, Menan and Rigby, as well as Idaho Falls Ambulance, responded to the scene.
Initially, 13 people were transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
However, EIRMC officials said later that a total of 17 workers from the potato cellar were being treated for carbon monoxide symptoms at the hospital.
Officials said on Thursday evening that one of the patients was in serious condition, while the other 16 were listed in fair condition.
EIRMC activated Incident Command protocol at 4:34 p.m. to manage the situation, which hospital officials said is consistent in any incident that impacts major operations at the hospital.
The exact cause of the carbon monoxide leak has not been determined. Carl Anderson, the assistant fire chief for the Central Fire District, said investigators suspect that a unit heater that was damaged by falling ice from the building’s roof may have been responsible for the leak.