Charlie Breitrose
Watertown Police officers speak with residents who were evacuated from 10 Riverside St. due to high levels of carbon monoxide. Six residents were sent to hospital.
Six residents of a Watertown condominium building went to hospital Wednesday night because of a high levels of carbon monoxide in the building.
Residents of 10 Riverside St. we’re evacuated after high levels of CO were detected about 8 p.m.
The call came into the Watertown Fire Department as a report of a smell of gases. When the firefighters arrived they quickly realized what was happening, said Deputy Fire Chief Rob Iannetta.
“We went in with our CO meters and gas meters and immediately got an elevated reading,” Iannetta said.
The cause was a faulty oil burner, Iannetta said. The building’s CO detector did not go off, however, he said.
On the ground floor firefighters got readings as high as 90, and a safe level is 3 or lower, Iannetta said.
Six residents who live in four apartments were taken to Mass General Hospital with carbon monoxide exposure.
“They were showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning – light headed, had nausea and weakness,” Iannetta said.
One Watertown ambulance and eight vehicles – five BLS units and three paramedics – from Armstrong Ambulance were called to assist the victims, Iannetta said.
Residents Suzy Mirvis and Alex Polanco did not smell the gas in their apartment but there were still dangerous levels of the gas.
“We went into the hallway and it smelled like gases,” Mirvis said.
Firefighters detected CO in their apartment, a couple floors above the leak in the basement. Iannetta said even on the top floors, the apartments had readings of 16-20.
Residents were let back into the building shortly before 9:30 p.m.