Omaha, NE – Souix City Journal – Carbon monoxide poisoning sent nine people, including four children, at a child’s birthday party to the hospital on Friday.
The people, who had been at an South Omaha apartment, were in good condition at the Nebraska Medical Center late Friday.
People at the party for a 5-year-old boy started to feel dizzy and sick to their stomachs, said neighbor Jonatan Cruz, 12.
The Omaha Fire Department found the partygoers outside the apartment, said Battalion Chief Cliff Shepoka. The apartment was one of four residences within a 121-year-old house. Had the people been sleeping, they may not have survived, Shepoka said.
The carbon monoxide may have come from blocked burners on a vintage gas stove, he said, though the exact cause could not be determined. A water heater was improperly installed, he said.
The tenants were directed not to use the appliances and to contact the building’s owner for repairs by firefighters and the Metropolitan Utilities District.
The house was aired out and residents remained there Friday night because a boiler for heating appeared to be safe, Shepoka said.