Pa. residents, responders sickened by carbon monoxide

By Stephanie Farr
The Philadelphia Daily News

YEADON, Pa. — A Yeadon couple who put an illegal generator in their basement after their electricity was shut off were rushed to the hospital — one of them unconscious — after dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide were discovered in the home early yesterday, a fire official said.

A neighbor of the unidentified couple, who live on Fern Street near Whitby Avenue, first reported a gas leak at the home several days ago, Yeadon Fire Chief Mike Melazzo said.

A Peco worker responded and fixed the leak but was called back Saturday because the neighbor felt that something still wasn't right, Melazzo said.
On closer inspection, the worker discovered a tailpipe sticking out of the couple's basement window and called police, who responded with fire and EMS crews about 1 a.m. yesterday.

The tailpipe was the only ventilation for the generator, which was "pouring carbon monoxide" back into the house, Melazzo said.
Any level of carbon monoxide more than 32 parts per million is considered dangerous, Melazzo said. The fume levels in the home when rescue workers arrived were 300 parts per million.

The female resident, who was found unconscious, was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; the man was taken to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, in Darby.

"We don't know how long she was unconscious for, but we feel that they were probably in this situation for a long time," Melazzo said.
Four responding EMS workers and a police officer also were taken to Mercy Fitzgerald, where they were treated for carbon—monoxide exposure and released, he said.

Using the generator not only put the residents but also their neighbors in the twin home in great danger, Melazzo said.

"They actually thought this was legal," he said. "It is very, very illegal."

The Delaware County borough's fire, code and police departments all were investigating, and the couple could face charges as a result of the incident.

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