DETROIT (WWJ) - Five people were taken to a local hospital, early Friday, for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to Detroit Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Dave Fornell, the investigation began at around 2 a.m. when EMS was called to a home on Forrer Street, in the area of Greenfield Rd. and Schoolcraft in Detroit, on a report of someone who wasn't feeling well.
Two people in the house were taken to a local hospital where tests determined they had very high levels of carbon monoxide in their blood.
"We went back to that location and, actually, it turned into a HAZMAT situation," Fornell said, "and we transferred three more people to the hospital to get treated," Fornell said.
Fornell said thisc case should serve as a reminder of the dangers of carbon monoxide.
"It's odorless, colorless, it kinda sneaks up on you because it can just build up in your blood...So in this particular case these people were extremely lucky."
Carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal. Just last week, a young couple died while their baby survived a case in Battle Creek.
Fornell said often when this happens it's because someone is running a generator or other equipment inside a building. However, investigators do not belive that's what happened here.
Carbon monoxide can build up in a home for other reasons, Fornell said, such as due to a malfunctioning furnace. "You know, with the houses all kind of buttoned up and everything because of the cold weather, you know, it's imperative that have a carbon monoxide detector so this doesn't happen," he added.
All five people sickened were adults, Fornell said, and all are expected to recover.
An investigation is ongoing.
Get more information about carbon monoxide, inclduing on how to protect yourself, at this link.
