Around 7 a.m. Dec. 14, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue responded to a 911 call from a resident whose carbon monoxide detector was going off in a townhome unit off Walton Creek Road.
Authorities evacuated eight residents from their homes and provided medical checks on-site.
“Eight people are fortunate to be alive after they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning in a local rental unit today,” Fire Chief Chuck Cerasoli said in a statement.
Steamboat Springs Fire Marshal Doug Shaffer said electrically wired carbon monoxide detectors had been taken down in the townhome where the CO originated. The department believes that unit’s natural gas-fueled boiler had not been regularly maintained, leading to elevated levels of CO. Carbon monoxide seeped through the townhome’s adjoining firewall where the neighboring unit did have working CO detectors that went off.
“The CO can make its way through those separations from one unit to another,” Shaffer said. “It’s very scary how well it can travel through a building.”
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas produced by combustion. CO related emergency calls are “certainly not unusual for us and especially this time of year because it’s getting cold,” Shaffer said.
The fire marshal said the No. 1 reason for potential CO poisoning rescue calls is related to gas-burning heating appliances that malfunction, followed next by damage to or leaks from gas pipes between appliances and outside walls of a home. Ice or snow may damage a pipe exiting the home, or older pipes may crack.
Shaffer encouraged residents to make sure snow and ice are not allowed to build up around or fall on gas meters and exhaust pipes from gas appliances.
The Steamboat Springs Board of Realtors, with its office at 625 S. Lincoln Ave., Suite 202, has free CO detectors available for pick up for residents in need.
Colorado law requires all rental and for-sale property units to have a CO detector within 15 feet of the door to any sleeping area. Property owners are responsible for the initial installation of the detector and tenants for the general maintenance and notifying the owner if the unit is defective or repair is needed, according to the city.
“Carbon monoxide strikes without notice, so make sure your home and/or rental unit has these lifesaving devices to alert you to this silent threat,” Cerasoli said.
Steamboat Springs Code Compliance Officer Greg Jaeger noted the statewide CO device law is enforceable under civil law rather than criminal law.
Leaving a vehicle running in closed garage connected to the home is another CO poisoning danger, which led to the death of an Oak Creek man in 2018 as well as the severe CO poisoning of a woman in downtown Steamboat, Shaffer noted.
Carbon monoxide is found in fumes produced when fuel is burned in vehicles, small engines, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges or furnaces. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. People who are sleeping or drunk can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms, according to the CDC. Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit the emergency room and more than 14,000 are hospitalized.
According to Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue, a carbon-monoxide alarm going off should never be ignored nor should residents try to find the source of the gas. Instead, residents should immediately move outside to fresh air and then call 911. Residents should conduct a headcount to account for all tenants and not re-enter the premises until emergency responders have given permission.
In February, during last winter’s heavy snow, Cerasoli said the department received an increased number of calls about the smell of natural gas in homes and businesses.
“Because of the increase in snow and ice, there’s more situations where ice chunks are falling on gas meters or vents are getting blocked.” Cerasoli said.
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