Washington County, MD – Leitersburg Volunteer Fire Departement and fire responders are investigating a carbon monoxide incident at Brook Lane Hospital Sunday.
According to Lieutenant James Ulrich, Smithsburg EMS was dispatched to the 13,000 block of Brook Lane, off Leitersburg Smithsburg Road. When they arrived, they found an unresponsive person in the kitchen. While responders were in the kitchen, there portable CO monitor on their EMS bag started to alarm, indicating high levels.
Leitersburg personnel arrived with a 4 gas meter and confirmed over 200 ppm of CO throughout the kitchen and adjacent areas, wrote Lt. Ulrich in a news release sent Sunday. Smithsburg EMS transported the original patient to Meritus. A medic unit from Community Rescue was requested for additional patients complaining of a headache. Two of those were transported to MMC. Leitersburg continues to operate at the scene, and a ladder truck from Longmeadow VFC was also dispatched to assist with ventilating the building.
Smithsburg EMS was dispatched back out to the scene just before 2:30 p.m. Officials say they are unsure if there are more confirmed patients or if the medic unit is as a precaution.
Fire personnel is working with facility maintenance and medical staff to evacuate occupants to non-affected parts of the campus, while also investigating and isolating the cause.
This remains an ongoing, active incident.