Lancaster, PA- A late-night scare at Church Street Towers in Lancaster on Oct. 26 could have been much worse had it occurred a few hours later, a city fire official and a local expert in preventing disasters said Oct. 27.
At least people were awake and someone noticed symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Lancaster Bureau of Fire Capt. Ken Barton.
“If this had happened at 3 or 4 a.m., it could have been a much worse situation,” Barton said.
Carbon monoxide, which is poisonous and potentially deadly at 35 parts per million, is colorless, odorless and tasteless, according to Duane Hagelgans, a professor at Millersville University’s Center for Disaster Research and Education.
Hagelgans agreed with Barton, terming carbon monoxide “a silent killer.”
“It kills people in their sleep,” Hagelgans said.
A male resident of Church Street Towers called Lancaster EMS sometime after 11 o’clock Saturday night. His symptoms led one of the responders to suspect the presence of carbon monoxide and contact the city fire department, Barton said.
When city firefighters arrived, they measured carbon monoxide levels of more than 300 parts per million in the man’s room and more than 250 parts per million in the boiler room. Readings also were well above toxic levels on the first and second floors, Barton said.
The boiler was shut down, and residents of the first and second floors were taken to the building’s community room until the fire department got carbon monoxide readings of zero parts per million around 12:15 a.m. At that point, those who’d been evacuated were allowed to return to their rooms.
The man who called Lancaster EMS and two other residents were taken to the hospital.
The fire department and Lancaster City Housing Authority, which owns Church Street Towers, were ready for a large-scale evacuation had it been necessary, Barton said. Water Street Rescue Mission was set up to accept people from Church Street Towers if needed, he said.
“It’s getting to be that season when people are closing up and sealing up” against the cold weather, Barton said. “This shows the importance of having your boiler checked, having your furnace checked, having a carbon monoxide detector.”
And these issues are no place to scrimp, Hagelgans said,
“This is an issue, especially with the economy struggling,” Hagelgans said. “People don’t get their furnaces checked. You’ll have a family of six or eight people, and somebody thinks they have the flu. It turns out, they have carbon monoxide poisoning.”
A carbon monoxide detector costs very little and is well worth the investment, Hagelgans said. An online search found prices between $18 and $65.