Allentown, PA – Seven people were hospitalized, including two who were carried out of a row home on the 1400 block of Linden Street in Allentown on Thursday morning after paramedics discovered high levels of carbon monoxide in the building.
Fire Department Capt. John Christopher said paramedics were called to the building at 1441 Linden St., a row home converted to second- and third-floor apartments, shortly after 9 a.m. on a report of multiple people feeling ill.
When EMS personnel entered, the carbon monoxide detectors on their uniforms activated, Christopher said. Five people left with EMS personnel while firefighters from Engine 9 put on breathing apparatus and carried two unconscious people out of the structure.
Christopher said all seven occupants of the building were in stable condition after being taken to an area hospital to be evaluated.
The interior of the row home had carbon monoxide levels of 200 parts per million. Normal levels are less than 0.2 parts per million in the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The maximum allowable exposure during an eight-hour workday is 35 parts per million. Victims of carbon monoxide exposure experience headaches, fatigue, nausea and dizziness at 200 parts per million, according to the CDC.
Christopher said firefighters shut down the heating system and that the landlord will have to have inspectors determine the cause of the elevated carbon monoxide levels.