Yonkers, NY – Two Yonkers families were nearly wiped out Friday morning when they were poisoned by a carbon monoxide leak, authorities said.
A total of 11 people six youths and five adults were taken to area hospitals after a resident came home from an overnight shift around 8:20 a.m. and couldnt wake up members of his family, fire officials said.
The CO leak, which spanned across two apartments in a building on Coyle Place, left some of the victims red-faced and vomiting while others couldnt be awakened, Assistant Fire Chief John Bonanno told The Post.
He said that if the man hadntcome home and found his family, it couldve got worse. The families couldve passed away. People die from CO poisoning all the time.
Bonanno said the CO levels inside the home were over 1,000 parts per million. When levels reach 800 parts per million, depending upon how long people are exposed, it could lead to unconsciousness, brain damage and death.
Its unclear how long the victims were exposed to the CO or how the leak started.