Spokane, WA – Three people were sent to the hospital Monday morning after high levels of carbon monoxide were discovered in an East Central apartment building.
Just before 8 a.m. Monday, the Spokane Fire Department received reports of carbon monoxide in a mixed-use building at 8 S. Magnolia St.
A very high concentration of carbon monoxide was discovered on the second floor of the building, according to the fire department.
The building was quickly evacuated, and two adults and a child were sent to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning.
A fire department investigation found that power to the entire building was shut off days ago because of poor wiring causing fire danger.
Jordan Tampien, the co-founder and owner of 4 Degrees Real Estate and Property Management, said residents were given a $300 stipend to find temporary housing after the power was shut off Friday.
The building has older wiring that uses fuses instead of breakers, making electrical work more difficult, Tampien said.
The electrical issue is on the first floor of the building, which is managed by the owner of the building, not 4 Degrees, Tampien said.
4 Degrees owned the building until 2018 and continued to manage the four apartments above the first floor commercial space after the sale.
Residents of the building did not have a way to heat their units and began using generators located on the buildings roof, according to the fire department.
Tenants used extension cords from the roof through the buildings rear windows to power space heaters and other devices. The exhaust from the generators vented back into the windows allowing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to accumulate, the fire department said.
Tampien said he was under the impression that residents were not living in the building while the power was off.
We were notified this morning that they were taken to the hospital, Tampien said.
The residents were checked out and have since been released, he said.
Theyll be in a hotel on us until they get it all set, Tampien said of the residents.