ROANOKE, Va – After eight people were rushed to the hospital over the weekend to be treated for cases of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, Roanoke City Fire and EMS staff are asking the community to know the signs.
“You can’t see it, you can’t smell it, it’s not easily detectable,” said Kristen Perdue, Community Risk Reduction specialist.
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Eight people are recovering after CJ Arrington and his team responded to Thelma Street early Sunday morning for reports of potential carbon monoxide poisoning.
“We noticed that there were multiple patients with nausea, vomiting, we had multiple patients with lightheadedness and dizziness,” First Lieutenant CJ Arrington said.
The patients had been in a garage with a commercial-grade heating element.
“We ended up having six total medic trucks show up on scene due to the fact to the number of patients that we had. With that being said, our biggest issue is getting them there, making sure they know who a patient who’s their patient and then getting them to the hospital,” Arrington said.
In 2020, Roanoke Fire-Ems had 43 calls regarding carbon monoxide related issues. Thirteen of those calls ended with someone showing symptoms of CO poisoning.
Perdue said a carbon monoxide alarm can make the difference between life or death.
According to the CDC, more than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional CO poisoning.
We have not received any updates on the condition of the eight patients and whether they have been released from the hospital or not.