Jan 13, 2009 1:53 pm US/Pacific
Carbon Monoxide Sickens 8 At Cupertino Apartments
CUPERTINO (BCN) ―
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Cupertino City Center Apartments.
CBS
A carbon monoxide leak at the poolside recreation center of a Cupertino apartment complex Monday afternoon hospitalized eight people, including six firefighters and paramedics, according to a Santa Clara County Fire Department battalion chief.
The incident occurred the same day a carbon monoxide leak in San Francisco killed one person and sickened several others.
The fire department received a medical call at about 3:15 p.m. at the Cupertino City Center Apartments at 20380 Stevens Creek Blvd., according to Battalion Chief Kendall Pearson.
Arriving firefighters and emergency crews found the man in the bathroom of the poolside building, Pearson said.
As the crews were tending to the victim, "everyone looked at each other and said 'Do you feel okay?' and everyone felt kind of sick and got out to the clean air," Pearson said.
After taking the patient outside, the crews called in more resources. A hazardous materials team from the San Jose Fire Department was called in because the Santa Clara County hazmat team was busy with a three-alarm fire in Morgan Hill, according to Pearson.
Eight people, including three firefighters and three paramedics, were taken to three different hospitals to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, Pearson said.
The three firefighters were treated and released, according to Pearson, who was not sure about the condition of the other victims, including the original patient and the man who called in the incident.
A preliminary investigation into the cause of the carbon monoxide leak pointed to possibly faulty equipment, including a furnace and water heater, in the mechanical room of the poolside building, Pearson said.
The incident caused authorities to shut down traffic on Torre Avenue between Stevens Creek Boulevard and Rodrigues Avenue, according to Pearson, who said the street was closed for about three hours.
That evening, around 7:45 p.m., San Francisco firefighters were called to a five-story apartment building at 816 Geary St. where another carbon monoxide leak had occurred.
San Francisco fire Lt. Ken Smith said a male victim was pronounced dead and eight others were sickened.
About 50 residents were temporarily evacuated from the building but were allowed to return overnight, a fire dispatcher said.
The source of the leak was determined to be a water heater or boiler in the building's basement that was subsequently shut off, Smith said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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