Henrico County, VA-
A carbon monoxide leak inside an eastern Henrico County home sent two people to the hospital Sunday morning.
Henrico fire units responded to a call from a home in the 3600 block of Croydon Road around 10:14 a.m. to find a 34-year-old woman in a bathtub complaining of dizziness.
Emergency responders then learned that other residents of the home were also “feeling bad” with headaches and weakness, said Henrico fire Capt. Jim Mellon.
“Crews immediately started putting some information together and realized that we may have a carbon monoxide leak,” Mellon said.
Carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas produced during the burning process, was measured in the structure at 190 parts per million, far above the 10 parts per million action-level threshold, he said.
Mellon noted that two residents — an 11-year-old male and a 34-year-old woman — were transported to VCU Medical Center for carbon monoxide poisoning and that three refused to be taken to the hospital despite having carbon monoxide in their blood streams.
Mellon said the cause of the gas leak was tracedto a damaged flue on the home’s furnace, which was shut down. The building was ventilated with pressure fans until carbon monoxide was no longer detected, he said.
Once the home was ventilated, the residents were allowed back in,but they won’t have access to heat until the furnace flue is repaired, Mellon said.
In anews release, Henrico fire officials reminded all residents with fuel-burning appliances to installcarbon monoxide detectors.