WASHINGTON — A carbon monoxide leak in Northwest D.C. put three people in the hospital Sunday morning.
It occurred just before 10 a.m. in a home near the intersection of 5th and Farragut streets in the Brightwood Park neighborhood.
Three people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the D.C. Fire and EMS Department. One other person was treated and released at the scene.
Authorities blamed the leak on a defective furnace, which was later shut down. The home was ventilated.
There was no carbon monoxide detector in the home, authorities said.
“Typically any kind of combustion, burning appliance, could be a water heater, a furnace, fireplace, space heater of sorts — any of those are sources of carbon monoxide,” said Pete Piringer with Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service. He recommended residents get a carbon monoxide detector installed in their home.
Piringer called the gas a “silent killer,” and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms of poisoning from the odorless, colorless gas are “flu-like” and include headache, upset stomach, vomiting and chest pain.
3rd person transported from 5th St. 4th treated & released on scene. No CO detector in home. Keep your family safe with CO & smoke alarms. pic.twitter.com/uX3JEp2Wlf
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) December 11, 2016
