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The quick thinking of a Saskatoon emergency room doctor likely helped save lives Thursday night.
Twenty-nine people were taken to hospital Thursday evening after carbon monoxide was discovered leaking from an apartment building on Bateman Crescent, in the Greystone Heights area.
Medavie Health Services (MHS) received a call before 6:30 p.m. for multiple patients suffering from CO poisoning.
Spokesperson Troy Davies said all are in stable condition after experiencing symptoms ranging from headaches and dizziness to shortness of breath.
“Great work by the ER physicians at RUH,” Davies told the Brent Loucks Show on Friday. “They recognized there were patients coming in from this location. They contacted the fire department to go do some CO readings which immediately triggered this response.”
In a release, Medavie paramedics offered a personal thank you to the doctor who recognized the situation.
“Paramedics would like to personally thank Dr. (Mark) Wahba for his quick response that could have turned out much worse, and also thank all ER department staff for the amazing job triaging patients,” the release said.
Due to the sudden influx of people needing hospitalization, the health authority issued a Code Orange, and MHS activated its special operations bus to transport the patients to hospital.
In a media release Friday afternoon, the Saskatoon Fire Department provided more details about the incident.
Upon arrival, crews used a carbon monoxide detector that gave an initial reading of 350 parts per million.
SaskEnergy employees arrived and an investigation of the building found a reading of 412 ppm in the boiler room.
“Further analysis revealed the boiler had rusted and the exhaust was being pumped into the building,” the fire department said in the release.
An examination of the boiler at a neighbouring building resulted in its closure as well, forcing 50 residents out of their apartments for an unknown length of time.
“The property owner is arranging for hotel rooms for evacuated residents and has secured 30 carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in the common areas and boiler room,” the fire department said.