Salem, NH – Crews were called to the Salem Athletic Club for a medical emergency Monday, but while they were there, they discovered a carbon monoxide leak inside.
The call was for one person who was sick, and it was unclear whether that sickness was related to the carbon monoxide leak, which was discovered on the roof.
When EMTs arrived, their automatic carbon monoxide detectors started going off. They pulled the fire alarm inside to evacuate the building.
One patient was rushed to the hospital. Crews said it was possible the person’s condition was unrelated to the leak.
“We initially thought the elevated levels were in one particular area. And then we found upon further investigation that it was throughout the whole building. So we ended up shutting down all the roof-top units. But once we got to the right one, we found damage to the unit consistent with a cracked heat exchanger that would lead to this sort of problem,” said Salem, N.H. Fire Captain John Brackett.
Levels inside of the building are now considered safe. The gym will remain closed for the day, and fire officials wanted this to be a reminder for people to ensure they had working carbon monoxide detectors inside their homes.