DRYDEN, Ont. -- Four people, including three children, required treatment in hospital after a carbon monoxide leak this morning in their Dryden home.
A CO alarm alerted the children’s mother to the fact there was a problem in the residence.
Dryden Fire Chief Ken Kurz said firefighters arrived to find the occupants had been exhibiting symptoms of CO poisoning including vomiting.
The woman was already in the process of getting her children to the Dryden Regional Health Centre.
Kurz said testing by the fire service determined there was a high level of carbon monoxide in the home.
He said Union Gas traced the source of the leak to a gas-fired appliance, but the fire service has not been told whether it was the furnace or the hot-water tank.
According to the fire chief, the woman contacted her landlord who immediately notified the fire service.
"In most cases if a carbon monoxide alarm is going off quite steady we encourage you to evacuate," he said. "Or if anyone is feeling sick at all, calling 9-1-1 is highly recommended."
Carbon monoxide is odourless and tasteless.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office says exposure to CO can cause flu-like symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, burning eyes, confusion, drowsiness or loss of consciousness.
In severe cases it can cause brain damage and death.
Carbon monoxide can poison the body quickly in high concentrations, or slowly over long periods of time.
