Families are voicing concern after first responders were called early Friday morning for a carbon monoxide (CO) leak at an Airdrie apartment building where a 12-year-old boy died from CO poisoning last weekend.
“It’s very scary, especially two times in a week,” resident Josh Horbay said early Friday morning. Horbay has two small children.
“We didn’t really think anything of it. Now it’s a big reality.”
Officials were called to the four-storey building at 12:14 a.m. on Friday, the Airdrie Fire Department said in a news release.
“When emergency crews arrived on scene they were informed by a resident that the carbon monoxide detector located inside her main level apartment had activated,” Deputy Chief Garth Rabel said, adding the woman had evacuated her apartment.
WATCH: Josh Horbay, a resident of an apartment building in Airdrie where a young boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning last week, is voicing concerns after the building was evacuated a second time due to a leak.
Shortly after, the apartment complex was completely evacuated after firefighters detected elevated CO ratings in the immediate area of the woman’s apartment.
Residents were allowed back in about two and a half hours later.
Airdrie firefighters, along with a member of the ATCO Emergency Response Team, determined the leak was the result of the on-demand water heater not ventilating properly.
Emergency responders were called to the same building on Sunday, Feb. 4 for reports of a CO leak. A 12-year-old boy died in hospital later that day from CO poisoning.
An RCMP investigation concluded that the condo complex was not equipped with CO detectors throughout the building.
RCMP later determined the weekend CO leak was also caused by a water heater not ventilating properly.
Residents on edge
Horbay said there is a CO detector in his family’s unit.
He said he thought the problem had been identified and solved, but now they don’t know what the status is.
“We own, so we want out but we can’t because we’re kind of stuck. No one’s going to want to live here, no one’s going to want to buy here.”
He said he feels very nervous about his family continuing to live in the unit.
Airdrie officials urged building residents to “be prudent to have their gas appliances and venting systems inspected” on Friday.
“It is important for everyone to have CO detectors in their home,” Rabel said.
“A carbon monoxide detector should be located on every floor of the home where people sleep, within three to five metres of sleeping quarters.”
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