Fargo, ND – A girl was sickened by carbon monoxide in the pool area of La Quinta Inn and Suites and taken to a local hospital Monday, May, 29, a Fargo Fire Department spokesman said.
Firefighters were called about 10:45 a.m. to the hotel at 2355 46th St. S., said Battalion Chief Craig Nelson.
The first crew on the scene found the girl and she was transported from the scene by F-M Ambulance, Nelson said. There was no word on what hospital she was taken to, or her condition, he said.
Nelson said a few other juveniles in the pool area had low levels of carbon monoxide in their blood.
HIgher than normal, but not very high, Nelson said.
Still, some of those children were taken to area medical facilities by their parents to be checked, Nelson said.
Fire crews recorded initial carbon monoxide levels at 300 parts per million, Nelson said. Firefighters normally put their masks on when they enter areas with 100 ppm of the gas.
In a normal house environment, 10 (ppm) or over is considered abnormal, Nelson said.
Additional crews were called to the scene to ventilate the building and monitor gas levels, he said.
Fire crews suspect that the cause of the gas might be a defective heater in the pool area, Nelson said. As a precaution, firefighters had hotel employees shut down all appliances using gas.
Firefighters also walked through the hotel and monitored carbon monoxide levels, and determined people staying in the hotel did not need to be evacuated, he said.
Altogether, two engines, a truck and 10 firefighters were on the scene for about an hour and a half, Nelson said.
He said symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, fatigue, nausea and a headache. He said carbon monoxide leaks from furnaces or gas appliances are rare, but can happen. He advised people to buy carbon monoxide detectors.
They are a great piece of safety equipment, Nelson said. (The gas is) colorless, ordorless and tasteless, but the carbon monoxide detector will alert you right away.