Fairfax City, VA – Fairfax County fire and rescue crews evacuated a pair of Oakton apartment buildings Tuesday afternoon after high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) were discovered in both structures.
Units responded at about 2:45 p.m. to the garden apartments at 2817 Jermantown Road and 3013 Borge St., according to the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department.
Carbon monoxide detectors alerted apartment occupants to the presence of the gas, the department said. CO is colorless, odorless and tasteless, and it can be deadly in high concentrations.
Upon arrival, the firefighters encountered high CO readings in the parking garage of the apartment buildings. They evacuated all occupants of the 108 apartments for more than three hours while the CO gas dissipated.
Fire investigators found that a maintenance crew using two gasoline-powered pressure washers caused the high CO readings within the living areas of both apartment buildings, the department said.