2 dead, 11 hospitalized in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Incident

UPDATE (4:03 p.m.) — Eight of the 10 residents sickened by carbon monoxide inside their Pikesville home on Sunday morning were relatives, including two children, said another family member who lives nearby.

But the two residents who died in the house in the 4000 block of Colby Road were not related to anyone in the home. The deceased were friends of the family members and they lived in the basement, said Yesica Romero, who lives in another Colby Road house and is the niece of the afflicted home's owners.

"The two who passed away were friends," said Romero, noting that she does not know their names. "The two who passed away, they lived in the basement. That's where it started," she said of the carbon monoxide gas.

Fire officials said a "gas-filled furnace" was the probable cause of the carbon monoxide. 

As for Romero's eight family members, including homeowner Santos D. Martinez, she told Pikesville Patch, "They're in the hospital, so they (the hospital staff) are trying to get everyone better."

She said her aunt, who is Martinez's wife, was also sickened and hospitalized from the gas. But Romero would not give her aunt's name, or the names of the other family members.

Romero did say, however, that two of the sickened relatives were children, ages 12 and 5.

Three police officers who responded to the call at about 8:40 a.m. Sunday at 4118 Colby Road were also sickened by the toxic gas, which is colorless and odorless. Firefighters determined the gas was present at 386 parts per million (ppm), the standard measurement for carbon monoxide. By comparison, a normal range is 10 ppm, said Michael Robinson, spokesman for the Baltimore County Fire Department.

Baltimore County police officers, who responded to the scene first, found two people deceased and others in the house sick. Soon the police were stricken as well.

"Police got a call, and a person said there are dead people in their basement. Police arrived and they (police) started to feel dizzy and sick, and called the fire department," Robinson said.

County fire sent six medic units, four supervisory units, an engine company and a hazardous materials unit, Robinson said.

There were a total of 10 people in the home at the time of the incident, he said. But firefighters were unclear as to whether they were all residents.

"We don't know if they were guests, et cetera. None of the people in the house speak English," Robinson said.

Some of the sickened civilians had to be taken to Shock Trauma for treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, and others were transported to University of Maryland Medical Center, Robinson said. The three police officers were transported to the university hospital, Robinson said.

Robinson said all patients may have needed the chamber, located at Shock Trauma, but because it was a high number of patients, some had to be sent to the medical center.

According to Maryland Circuit Court documents, the home, owned by Martinez, is in active foreclosure status, with a statement of debt of $206,426.88. 

"A gas-filled furnace is the probable cause," of the deaths, Robinson said. The Office of the Medical Examiner is investigating the manner of deaths.

On Sunday afternoon outside the house, five vehicles were parked: two pickup trucks—one with a utility rack over the entire truck bed—a sedan with a spare tire on it, and a van. One pickup truck had construction equipment inside the bed, including extension cords being soaked by the rain. Parked on the front lawn was another sedan.

A child's toy ATV, bicycles, including two with training wheels, and a large, overturned planter were on the front lawn, as well as a "For Sale" real estate sign. Out in the backyard, which faces Milford Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, there was a stack of about 10 ladders, more bicycles and a large, yellow janitorial bucket, among other items.

Karen Robertson, a neighbor, said she saw the emergency vehicles early Sunday morning, but did not know what had happened. She said she does not know any of the people who live at 4118 Colby Road.

"I noticed a lot of people over there, but we've never had any problems," she said.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil and wood fuels. Any fuel- or wood-burning appliance can produce carbon monoxide.

The severity of symptoms depend on the amount of the gas present and the length of exposure. Victims may lose consciousness or even die after exposure to the gas for two to three hours.

There were no carbon monoxide detectors in the home, said Elise Armacost, director of communications for the Baltimore County Fire Department.

The hospitals' social services offices will likely handle finding emergency shelter for those displaced, Robinson said.

The house is on a semi-circle road, Colby, that ends at Reisterstown Road on one end, and Old Milford Mill Road on the other end, near where 4118 is located. Colby is located behind B&T Auto Repair on Reisterstown Road, across from the now defunct Hollywood Video store.

The County Council passed a law last December requiring all rental homes and apartments to have the carbon monoxide detectors installed, but they are not required in residential properties that are not rented.

The Centers for Disease Control provides tips on how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Update: The county released the names of those with unfatal injuries Monday. They are: Josabec Arevalo Coreas, 40; Santos Martinez, 31; Ubein Garcia Lemus, 20; Sugo Lemus, 27; Jose Orellas Sorto, 29; Navis Adely Arevalo, 35; Josue Arevalo, 22; and Susi Martinez, 35.