Five people were taken to hospital after a buildup of carbon monoxide at a downtown Calgary construction site on Wednesday morning.
Calgary fire’s Carol Henke said the call came in at around 7 a.m. for a report of a gas leak at 611 7 Ave. S.E.
EMS said they took five patients to the hospital, two in serious but non-life-threatening condition and three others in non-life-threatening condition.
Henke said the fire crews on scene found carbon monoxide levels at 400 ppm (parts per million), which is considered dangerous to human and animal health.
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Twenty-five people in total were evacuated from the building, she said.
Investigators believe a heater in the office was the source of the CO, but the exact cause was not determined as of 11:45 a.m. Firefighters were ventilating the building to eliminate any remaining CO.
Occupational Health and Safety was called to investigate the injuries, officials said.
Henke said it’s important not to run vehicles in enclosed spaces like garages and to always make sure furnaces are properly maintained.
Further information on how you can protect yourself from this colourless, odourless gas can be found on ATCO Gas’ website.
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