South Bend, IN – Four people in a Harris Township home were taken to an area hospital after exposure to hazardous levels of carbon monoxide Sunday morning.
The two adults and two children were conscious when transported by ambulance to a local hospital, Clay Fire Battalion Chief Todd Hurley said. Condition updates were not available Sunday evening.
Clay Fire Department received a call around 7 a.m. about a person who had passed out multiple times at a home in the 12000 block of Duxbury Court. Shortly after Clay Fire responders entered the home, their carbon monoxide monitor’s alarm went off, indicating high levels of this colorless and odorless gas.
Carbon monoxide becomes hazardous at 35 parts per million. Carbon monoxide levels at the home exceeded 400 parts per million when responders entered. Clay Fire authorities suspect that the furnace was the source.
Clay Fire officials encourage residents to have all natural gas appliances, water heaters, clothes dryers, furnaces checked for proper operation and ventilation. Wood-burning heating devices should also be checked for proper ventilation.
Also, Clay Fire officials encourage residents to install carbon monoxide detectors in their homes, in the same locations as smoke detectors.