Suffolk, VA – Unseasonably cold weather was partly to blame for a hazmat situation that sickened 13 in Suffolk Thursday.
Employees were operating fork lifts inside a warehouse in the 1000 block of Obici Industrial Blvd. with the doors closed, which caused an unsafe level of carbon monoxide inside the building, officials said.
Eight patients were transported to the hospital and five drove themselves to be evaluated, officials said. At least one worker was unconscious due to the fumes.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas, which can cause sudden illness and death.
“Emergency personnel performed an air quality test of the warehouse and found that the further they entered the facility, the higher the levels of carbon monoxide became,” Klink stated in a press release.
Crews used fans from fire engines to assist in ventilating the building after all the doors were opened. Norfolk Fire & Rescue also provided mutual aid and additional fans.