Vallejo, CA – The Vallejo Fire Department rescued two people who were overcome by odorless and deadly carbon monoxide in a two-story Victorian home on Georgia Street Friday morning, a firefighter and paramedic said.
A 24-year-old man who lives in the home at 901 Georgia St. was in severe respiratory distress on a second-floor landing but he managed to call 911 before he fell unconscious, Vallejo firefighter and paramedic Aaron Klauber said.
Firefighters also found a 21-year-old woman on the second-floor who also was suffering from life-threatening respiratory distress. Both were moved onto the porch within a minute of the fire department’s arrival around 10:30 a.m. and taken to a hospital where they were in serious condition, Klauber said.
The carbon monoxide monitor in the residence was not turning on, and a neighbor reported hearing a monitor’s chirping sound the night before, Klauber said.
PG&E crews at the scene said they suspect a wall heater malfunctioned, Klauber said.
Two or three other residents of the six-unit converted Victorian house also were evacuated, and four firefighters received supplemental oxygen as a precaution, Klauber said.
Fire officials said the near fatal poisoning is a reminder to residents to make sure smoke detectors and carbon monoxide monitors are tested and functioning properly.