Dozens of People Taken to Hospital From Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

According to  host.madison.com:

“More than two dozen people were taken to a hospital Saturday night when carbon monoxide poisoning forced the evacuation of a wedding reception on Madison’s East Side, according to the Madison Fire Department.

Emergency personnel were called to the indoor soccer club Salon Centinela, 5018 Blazing Star Drive, after someone fainted during a wedding reception there, said Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster.

Once inside, paramedics were approached by other guests concerned about an odor in the building and a generator that was running indoors to supply power to a live band. Others also said they weren’t feeling well.

Firefighters entered the building with handheld air monitors, which immediately detected carbon monoxide near the entryway and ultimately peaked at 405 parts per million in the center of the building, Schuster said.

Although the generator supplying power to the band was being moved outside, firefighters determined the building needed to be evacuated and ventilated.

Firefighters used a microphone to shut down the band and calmly evacuated about 300 wedding guests. They also ventilated the building.

A Madison Metro bus provided a medical staging area for the many wedding guests, ranging from young children to older adults, who were feeling ill. UW Hospital East set up a triage area to assist with the large number of patients.

Patients suffered from headaches, dizziness, and/or nausea. All remained alert with stable vital signs, and are expected to be fine, Schuster said.

In addition to 26 patients initially taken by ambulance to UW Hospital East, the Dane County 911 Communications Center said local hospitals also received walk-in patients following the incident.

Schuster warned that the incident illustrates the danger of using fuel-powered equipment, such as generators, indoors. “Carbon monoxide is a known byproduct of this equipment, and it quickly becomes deadly when the odorless gas accumulates in a closed space,” she said.”