Papillion, NE – Several carbon monoxide scares at a Papillion apartment complex have has residents concerned.
An alarm went off at the Village of Papillion Apartments early Wednesday morning.
Firefighters said it was the 7th time in the last year that they were responded to the apartments for a carbon monoxide scare. They said several people went to the hospital to be checked out. In one case, a woman was hospitalized recently. Firefighters said the issues may be due to some new water heater equipment.
Currently apartments aren’t required by law to have carbon monoxide detectors on their property. Neighbors at the complex Fox 42 talked to say alarms at the complexcould have saved their lives.
“It’s a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, two in one.”
Sandi Carbaugh said her alarm and her two children saved their lives from carbon monoxide.
“They say it is a silent killer, like it has no smell, it has no like, you can’t see it.”
All apartments in the building have an alarm. But Carbaugh’s was the only one that was triggered. Her children heard it and woke her up.
“They went upstairs into my apartment, read the levels.And they were high enough to where they had to evacuate the whole building.”
Firefighters said three buildings had carbon monoxide breakouts on the property.
“If it’s happened this many times then there’s something going on where they’re not fixing it right.”
The fire department searched the building looking for answers.In the meantime, the gas was shut off. That means Carbaugh and her neighbors can’t use their stoves or have any hot water.
Representatives for the property saidthey’re working with the city and an energy company to fix the problem.