A malfunctioning commercial furnace in a West Kelowna condo building prompted fire crews to evacuate more than 50 residents when very high levels of a potentially deadly gas were found throughout their building.
“Today could have had a much worse outcome,” West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund told Global News.
Just after 9 a.m. on Friday at the 55-plus Monticello condo complex, numerous carbon monoxide (CO) detectors went off in the 42-unit building at 3880 Brown Road, according to Brolund.
But the issue wasn’t taken seriously, at first, he said.
“They felt it was probably just a false alarm,” Brolund said. “The CO units were unplugged, or the batteries were taken out.”
A resident called FortisBC to attend the building for an inspection, but crews immediately called in West Kelowna Fire Rescue.
“When we arrived, we found very high levels of carbon monoxide present throughout the building and we very quickly evacuated all of the residents,” Brolund said.
“We were still in bed,” resident Kathy MacMillan told Global News. “We just came out, pajamas and all.”
Residents were escorted to the complex’s clubhouse during the incident.
All residents were accounted for by firefighters, who went door-to-door, according to Brolund.
“They were checked out by crews from B.C. Ambulance,” he said.
No injuries from CO poisoning were reported, according to Brolund.
“We are very grateful that all of the residents are safe,” he said. “But carbon monoxide kills and it kills very quickly: it’s a colourless, odourless gas, so you don’t know that it’s happening.”
CO gas was coming from the malfunctioned furnace that heats the hallways of the condo building, Brolund said, which quickly seeped into all the units of the three-storey structure.
With the arrival of cold weather, West Kelowna’s fire chief is reminding everyone to have a CO detector in their living space.
“If you have an old one, one that’s older than 10 years old, replace it. If you don’t have one get one, because it can save your life.”
If your CO detector is activated, Brolund said to call 911 for fire department assistance.
“Give us a phone call. We’ll come and help you deal with it,” Brolund assured. “At the very least, we’ll replace the battery or we’ll get a new detector for you. At the very worst, we’ll make sure you’re safe.”