A mixed commercial and residential building was evacuated Monday afternoon after Calgary fire crews responded to a call about a natural gas odour in the building at about 4 p.m.
When crews arrived, firefighters found that carbon monoxide (CO) readings in the building in the 4400 block of 17 Avenue S.E. were as high 280 parts per million (ppm) in some areas.
They activated the building’s fire alarm system immediately, triggering an evacuation.
Firefighters, with the help of Calgary Police Officers, searched the building to make sure no one was left behind. They also started to ventilate the building to lower the CO levels.
They then began an investigation of several areas of the building, including the rooftop HVAC air intake, boiler and the kitchen of the restaurant housed in the building, to find the source.
WATCH: Carol Henke from the Calgary Fire Department and Chris Bottoms from ATCO join Global Calgary with details on how you can protect your family from carbon monoxide.
An appliance in the restaurant’s kitchen was determined the be the source of the CO.
As of 5:30 p.m., residents and employees were allowed back inside the building as all of the CO was cleared. No injuries were reported.
The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) is reminding residents of the importance of having working CO alarms.
“They are the most important warning system to alert you to a potentially dangerous situation,” the CFD said in a release.
“Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-irritating gas which which can be deadly.”
More information on CO safety can be found here.
WATCH: This week is carbon monoxide awareness week in Alberta. Jared Anderst from ATCO Gas shares some steps you can take to protect your family from the deadly gas, called the “silent killer” because it you can’t see or smell it.
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