5 people treated for carbon monoxide poisoning after Dartmouth incident

Residents were evacuated from an apartment building in Dartmouth, N.S., early Sunday morning due to high levels of carbon monoxide, with a total of five people treated at hospital.

Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency district Chief Stephen Turner said fire crews received a call at 1:08 a.m. AT from medical personnel at the Dartmouth General Hospital.

He said there was a patient there with high levels of carbon monoxide, which prompted the staff to notify the fire department about potential carbon monoxide exposure.

Turner said fire crews went to the Albro Lake Road apartment building, which was found to have high levels of carbon monoxide. Residents were evacuated from the building — it's unclear how many — but four people were taken to hospital for treatment, said Turner.

He said the building was ventilated and people were allowed to return to their units.

In a Facebook post, the Halifax Professional Fire Fighters association said it's an 18-unit building.

Turner said carbon monoxide is an odorless gas.

"We recommend that everybody have a carbon monoxide detector in any building that has potential to have a carbon monoxide exposure, so that you can ensure that you are warned in advance," he said.

In its post, the firefighters' association recommended that people with gas-burning appliances, such as furnaces, propane fireplaces or barbecues, install carbon monoxide detectors on every level of a home.

"Know the symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea, and confusion," it said.