The Canadian Press
CALGARY, Canada — A temporary heater inside a Calgary house is being blamed for sending six people, including two paramedics, to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning.
Brian McAsey with the Calgary fire department says emergency crews were called to the home to deal with an unconscious person.
The first two paramedics on scene immediately knew they were dealing with a carbon monoxide situation when they found three other people in the home acting confused.
The fire department was called and everyone was taken to hospital, including the EMS workers, who showed they were suffering the effects of poisoning when their oxygen levels were tested.
McAsey says he believes everyone will recover from the exposure.
Two dogs inside the home were also revived and given oxygen by emergency crews.
Firefighters measured the levels of carbon monoxide in the home at 400 parts per million, more than 30 times the level at which the department typically begins removing people from buildings. That level is high enough to cause seizures, unconsciousness and death within minutes.
McAsey doesn’t know what type of heater was being used in the house, but notes that its a common problem this time of year when the temperatures drop.
''This time of year, when people are starting to use more fuel burning appliances and they tend to be burning them for longer periods durations, what we see are these types of call increasing quite a bit.’'
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