Baltimore, MD – Six people, including an infant, were taken to a hospital after a carbon monoxide leak late Tuesday morning.
A family woke up feeling ill and called 911 shortly before noon. Fire officials told 11 News that crews were called to the 1200 block of East 35th Street in northeast Baltimore.
“Upon arriving, (crews) found several people in the home that were sick, all of them were very seriously sick,” Baltimore City fire Capt. Roman Clark said.
Fire officials said six people were taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center’s hyperbaric chamber. All of the victims were in critical condition, fire officials said. One of the victims is a 7-month-old child.
Hazardous materials and Baltimore Gas and Electric crews were called to the scene. Officials determined that a faulty furnace was the cause.
“There were very high levels of carbon monoxide, so apparently whatever has been going on in this home has been going on for a while,” Clark said.
Fire officials said carbon monoxide is a silent killer because it is a colorless, odorless gas that can be inhaled without knowing it until it overcomes you.
“It would be good to have carbon monoxide detectors on hand, especially near bedrooms and wherever sleeping areas are. That’s when it happens mostly, it can catch you in your sleep and you never wake up again,” Clark said.
Fire officials said the house had a carbon monoxide detector, but there were no batteries in it.
No further information was immediately released.