Lancaster, PA – A city woman in her 90s was taken to Lancaster General Hospital after being overcome by carbon monoxide due to a gas leak Saturday night at her home at 19 Locust St., a fire official said.
Lancaster firefighters initially investigated a call next door, 17 Locust St., shortly after 5 p.m., when a resident there reported her carbon monoxide alarm going off, Battalion Chief Ken Barton said.
Firefighters confirmed there were elevated levels of the gas in the basement, and service was shut off, but they couldn’t find a cause.
When they expanded their investigation to 19 Locust St., however, their detectors immediately registered the presence of extremely high concentrations.
Inside the house, which was unlocked, firefighters found the elderly woman unconscious. They immediately evacuated her to the porch and started administering oxygen, Barton said. Lancaster EMS was called in, took over and transported her.
Barton said the woman’s son arrived during the incident and went to the hospital to be with her, he said.
The woman at 17 Locust St. reported feeling unwell, and went to the hospital for evaluation, Barton said. She lived there with her husband and child, but they were out of the house when the incident occurred.
Their house was ventilated and its gas service resumed after it was determined to be safe, Barton said. Gas appliances remained shut off Saturday night at 19 Locust St. while investigators determined a cause of the leak.
Names of the victims were not immediately available.