Lincoln, NE- A failed flue is to blame for poisoning 42 Phi Kappa Psi fraternity men with carbon monoxide early Friday morning.Fire fighters evacuate the house after detecting dangerous levels through out the Alpha Tau Omega house that the Phi Kappa Psi men are currently renting.
Within hours of being treated for carbon monoxide and still wearing hospital bracelets, Phi Kappa Psi students rush up stairs to get their belongings and get out.High levels of odorless and colorless carbon monoxide fill the Alpha Tau Omega house; the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity is renting the UNL home.
Phi Kappa Psi member, Tyler Hamik is one of many who woke up ill.”We just wake up and we have fire fighters pounding on our doors and guys are all complaining of headaches and throwing up and stuff like,” says Hamik.
All Phi Psi members say they woke up with a headache and smelling a strange odor in the house.That’s when the vice president of the fraternity went to the boiler room to investigate. Zach Ubbelohde says, “I heard they said there was a gas leak. I went down there and checked it out and got very light headed and that was when the police showed up.”
Emergency crews act quickly by taking the students across the street to the UNL Student Union where they give them first aid.UNL Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Juan Franco reveals the house was inspected over Christmas break and passed.But it did not have a carbon monoxide detector, a policy that may be changing.”We’re gonna ask the fire marshall who normally checks the houses any way to do another walk through and now we’ll probably recommend they have those monitors,” says Dr. Franco.
For the men who live here they’re thankful the outcome wasn’t worse.”We were just concerned for our brothers and making sure they were going to be okay,” says Hamik.