Officials blame home's heating system for leak and urge public to install detectors 
 
By Danielle Furaro
The Albany Times Union

ALBANY, N.Y. — A malfunctioning furnace is being blamed for leaking poisonous carbon monoxide gas that sent five people to hospitals Tuesday. A sixth victim declined to go.

Emergency crews responded to a call to a house in the 400 block of Elk Street Tuesday morning and found the air inside the home registered 300 parts per million of carbon monoxide. The standard safety limit is six parts per million, said Fire Chief Robert Forezzi.

Forezzi said the problem was traced to a broken boiler. He couldn't say how long it took the fumes to fill the house, but added that in winter, with windows shut tight and often covered with plastic, carbon monoxide needs less time to build to dangerous levels.

Full Story: 6 sickened by carbon monoxide