A carbon monoxide leak in a Bronx apartment building left nine people sick and forced tenants from 44 apartments out into the cold on Thursday morning, FDNY officials said.
Firefighters were called to the Stratford Ave. apartment building near Watson Ave. in the Soundview section of the Bronx around 9 a.m. after multiple reports were made of people feeling sickened by carbon monoxide fumes.
First responders found high carbon monoxide levels in the place as eight sickened tenants were taken to area hospitals, officials said. A ninth tenant suffering from CO exposure refused medical treatment, FDNY officials said.
“They took a couple of people on stretchers to the hospital. It wasn’t looking good. They were older people,” building tenant Juan Rosario told the Daily News. “I’m bugging out, I’ve never been through this before. They told us to stay outside.”
FDNY Deputy Chief Stephen Sullivan said a “defective oil burner” was the cause of the toxic fumes. Firefighters evacuated 44 apartments. Tenants had to wait outside, where temperatures had dipped to 34 degrees, before getting the all clear to return to their homes.
“It was a burner that had been serviced, and it appeared to be that there was a problem with the flue going from the basement through the building. There was a leak that caused the CO levels to rise throughout the building,” Sullivan said. “For all New Yorkers, make sure your CO detectors are working, make sure you change the batteries. When they do go off, make the phone call and have the emergency responders come.”
