Peoria, IL- Two young children were hospitalized Thursday evening after an alarm alerted a family to high levels of carbon monoxide in their home, according to the Peoria Fire-Medical Department.
Peoria Fire-Medical was dispatched to a two-story house near 87th Avenue and Cactus Road about 10:15 p.m. when the carbon monoxide alarm in the home sounded, spokesman Tim Eiden said in an email. High concentrations of carbon monoxide were found in the home’s top story. The two children had bedrooms above the garage area.
Five people were examined for carbon monoxide exposure, with the two children found to have high concentrations of it, Eiden said. Both were treated at the scene and transported to a hospital in serious but stable condition.
A work vehicle with a generator had been running in the home’s driveway during the day, and carbon monoxide exhaust was trapped in the garage, Eiden said.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced by anything that burns fossil fuels. It is undetectable, except by certain equipment, he said. Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, nausea, headache, weakness, confusion and flu-like symptoms, and a sleeping person may succumb to these symptoms without waking up.
Peoria Fire-Medical recommends that each floor of a house have at least one carbon monoxide alarm. The alarms should be tested regularly. As with smoke alarms, the batteries should be replaced yearly, Eiden said.