Two workers power washing in a garage below a three story condominium went to the hospital Wednesday after being exposed to carbon monoxide. Lincoln Fire and Rescue were called to the Stonecliff Estates at 5831 Enterprise Drive around 1:00 p.m.. LFR’s Nancy Crist says an exhaust fan that is used to detect CO levels did not start.
“The garage is equipped with censors that detect CO and they engage an exhaust system,” Crist says. “Apparently that exhaust fan did not start up.” Crist says they got an initial reading of 200 parts per million. In comparison, home CO2 detectors usually start alerting at 35 ppm. Those levels increased to 500 ppm.
Crist says there are 47 units in the building with 56 residents 55 years of age and older. She says firefighters encountered a little trouble during the evacuation process because there was no master key to the building and that prevented them from getting into six rooms.
The two workers hospitalized will be ok and there are no reports of residents becoming sick