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Around 120 people were evacuated from a northeast Calgary hotel on Thursday afternoon after high levels of carbon monoxide were detected.
Fire crews arrived at Emerald Hotel & Suites near Barlow Trail and 27th Avenue N.E. around 2 p.m. to respond to reports of two people feeling unwell in the building’s basement.
Upon arriving, they detected 300 ppm of carbon monoxide in the basement.
The two people were removed by fire crews, assessed and transported to hospital.Â
Fire crews also detected carbon monoxide throughout the hotel and evacuated the building.
Alex Kwan, the Calgary Fire Department’s public information officer, said on Thursday afternoon that crews were still working to identify the source of the gas, with ATCO Gas supporting at the scene.
“Anything above 50 [ppm], that’s when we’ll start evacuating people,” said Kwan. “Once you start getting above the 400 or 500 range, that’s where you can have irreversible effects if you’re exposed to that for a couple hours.”
Kwan stressed the importance of monitoring carbon monoxide levels in homes, especially during cold snaps like the one Calgary is currently experiencing. He noted cold air can act like a lid and keep gases from rising, which could lead to carbon monoxide levels building up more quickly.
He said homes should have carbon monoxide alarms on every level and near sleeping areas so they can wake people up if they go off at night.
High CO level found in Marlborough home
Earlier on Thursday, Calgary fire crews responded to a carbon monoxide incident in a residential home.
A medical call brought emergency responders to a house on the 4700 block of Marbury Place N.E., just north of Memorial Drive in the city’s Marlborough neighbourhood, around 8:25 a.m. Then, a carbon monoxide alarm went off. The crew evacuated themselves and an adult from the house, and called fire crews to the scene.
Fire crews detected 500 ppm of carbon monoxide in the home, which are levels that can be fatal after a few hours of exposure, the Calgary Fire Department said.
Emergency responders carried out a second patient from the home, who was later transported to hospital.
Crews then shut off the home’s furnace and ventilated it using electric fans.
Carbon monoxide exposure can lead to flu-like symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, confusion, fatigue and lost consciousness.