“Some families at Canyon View Middle School said they haven’t yet decided if they will send their student back to school Wednesday when in-person classes resume.
The school went virtual for two days following multiple reported carbon monoxide exposures on campus last week. Officials said all of the school’s carbon monoxide detectors will be tested while students are at home…It looks great on paper, there’s nothing there, everything’s testing 0, but three days, people have tested for CO poisoning…”
Canyon View Middle School will hold remote learning this week while the building is tested for carbon monoxide, days after it was evacuated due to suspected exposure.
SANDY, Utah — A Smith’s grocery store was evacuated on Sunday morning after a group of firefighters were grocery shopping and noticed an unusual smell of combustion.
At 9:18 a.m., a crew from the Sandy City Fire Department was grocery shopping at 10305 S. 1300 East. Sandy City public affairs said a worker at the store mentioned the smell to the firefighters and they immediately began taking readings for carbon monoxide.
The crew detected high levels of the gas and alarms began to ring. The city said 30 people were evacuated out of the building and there was no complaint of illness or injury.
The energy company arrived shortly thereafter at the store to shut down furnaces and clear exhaust vents.
Sandy City gave a statement to the press reminding Utahns of the importance to routinely check for possible leaks during the cold season. A recent trend in carbon monoxide leaks in Utah includes a church in Monroe and a preschool in Draper.
“In light of the recent gas leak incident during services at a church in Monroe, Utah,” the statement read.” This serves as a reminder of how important it is to keep vents clear and furnaces in healthy working condition this time of year. CO is odorless and can be extremely dangerous when exposure levels are high and lengthy.”
Monroe, Utah • Nearly 50 people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday after the toxic gas was detected in a south-central Utah meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
According to the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, emergency medical teams were called to the Monroe East chapel for two separate patients. The first was for a 4-year-old girl who was having breathing problems. She had been sick earlier in the week, so it was believed that she was experiencing lingering symptoms from that illness. About an hour later, emergency crews were called to the church again for a man who was feeling sick.
Later that day, family members reported that they all had headaches when they returned home from the church. The Monroe Fire Department then went to the building, where crews detected high levels of carbon monoxide. The building was evacuated.
Officials said that throughout Sunday evening, multiple people became sick and went to Sevier Valley Hospital in nearby Richfield to seek treatment. A church spokesperson said 54 people in total reported symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Of those, 49 were treated, and 22 of them needed to be transferred to other hospitals for further care.
A church statement said the leak was caused by a malfunction in the building’s heating system.
DRAPER, Utah — Fire crews evacuated dozens of toddlers at the American Preparatory Academy in Draper Wednesday after high levels of carbon monoxide were detected.
At 3:15 p.m. fire crews arrived at the daycare after receiving reports of a possible natural gas leak. After detecting high levels of carbon monoxide inside the building, the school was ordered to be evacuated.
By the time they arrived, there were five students and five adults occupying the building. They all had noted possible symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure including headaches, nausea and vomiting.
According to American Preparatory Schools Executive Director Carolyn Sharette, it was at this time that staff immediately reported the incident.
“You can never be too careful when little kids are involved, obviously [we] don’t want anyone to be sick,” she said. “So, we’re really glad it was not as, not more serious.”
It is believed the source of the carbon monoxide originates from a gas-operated pressure washing system that was being operated on the outside of the building, where the carbon monoxide was able to enter the building from a door left open as well as an airway entrance on the rooftop.
A total of 45 toddlers and 10 adults were present on the school grounds while the power washing system may have been operated. None of the remaining people during the evacuation were transported to the hospital but were asked to transport themselves to a hospital to be examined for carbon monoxide exposure.
Officials say five children and four adults that were treated at the hospital are doing fine now, with the facility itself back up and running Thursday.
Officials are also asking anyone present at the school during this time to also be examined for carbon monoxide exposure.
“These ranges were recalled in January 2023, and consumers were offered a repair. ZLINE is expanding the remedies available to consumers to also include a replacement range or a refund. All consumers who have an affected range should immediately stop using the oven compartment, even if they have already had their range repaired as part of the prior recall.”
“Nineteen of Jade and Cassidee Smith’s family members were exposed to carbon monoxide on Friday night. As a result, seven of them were left unresponsive…”
An important reminder to always pack your own CO alarm when traveling
CLOSE CALL: This week we responded to a family of four experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – dizziness, nausea, and headaches. It was discovered that they had left their car running in the garage, causing a slow carbon monoxide leak into the home. Fortunately, all are now stable, but the situation could have been far graver.
Important reminder: Carbon monoxide (or CO for short) is a serious threat and can cause serious illness and even death. CO is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and highly toxic. Ensure your home is equipped with a functioning CO detector to safeguard against potential risks.
Excellent article on the long term physical effects of CO exposure centered around this recent poisoning incident in Utah.
“…(he) had gotten very sick over the course of the day, then woke up in the middle of the night with severe thirst. When he tried to get out of bed, his entire left side had gone completely numb…
‘Brenden fell and hit his head on a dresser, then tumbled down the stairs to the bathroom, and that’s where they found him…’
The source of the fumes was a new heater for the outdoor swimming pool, which had just been hooked up and was kept in the garage below the room where (he) was living.”
“The Central Utah Counseling Center in Ephraim was evacuated a week ago after a problem with an old furnace was discovered. People started feeling sick, with a variety of symptom…Havens is calling for a change to state regulations that would require public and commercial buildings to have working carbon monoxide detectors. ‘I really would like to see a change in Utah’s policies that offices should have to have it,’ Havens said. ‘Not just medical offices but all commercial buildings should have to have it because people shouldn’t have to go through this.’”
“Firefighters were called to the meetinghouse at 650 E. Stadium Ave. in Provo just after 11 a.m. Sunday. They later learned that a boiler problem had sent a buildup of carbon monoxide into the church…Firefighters measured the carbon monoxide in the air at the church at 400 to 500 ppm…Of the 60 people treated, 24 underwent hyperbaric treatment, a therapy where people with carbon monoxide poisoning are put in a chamber filled with pure oxygen”
“A nearly lethal carbon monoxide leak at a church in Alpine Utah went completely undetected by the high priest’s group meeting in the room. The leak, resulting from a malfunctioning heating system, caused many of the older priesthood holders to cough excessively while rendering other attendees completely unresponsive…Emergency crews were late arriving at the scene because people looking through the classroom window did not detect anything out-of-the-ordinary when they saw the breathless, wheezing, or passed-out high priests…”
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