Roanoke County, VA – A man was hospitalized Friday morning after a carbon monoxide leak was discovered in a Roanoke County apartment.
Roanoke County Fire and Rescue crews were called to the apartment building in the 4300 block of Garst Mill Road near Cave Spring at 7:45 a.m. for a report of a sick person.
A medic found a sick man inside an apartment, according to a news release from the department.
As they were starting their assessment of the patient, a recently purchased single gas monitor, located on the EMS bag, alarmed, the release said. The medic crew evacuated the ill patient, began ventilation, and asked to have the call upgraded to a carbon monoxide alarm call.
Additional rescue resources were brought in and crews used gas detectors to determine that high levels of carbon monoxide were present throughout the apartment building, according to the fire and rescue officials. Fire crews went door to door to evacuate the building.
The release said three residents were experiencing minor symptoms and were evaluated on the scene. The man who called the emergency crews was taken to a hospital.
Officials said with the help of building maintenance and Roanoke Gas, crews were able to stop the leak, which was caused by a malfunctioning stove. Officials also credit the department’s recently purchased gas monitors for quickly alerting medics to the carbon monoxide problem.