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A carbon monoxide leak at Wingate Inn in Stafford County sent seven people to the hospital. Date published: 7/28/2006
Seven people were taken to the hospital yesterday after a carbon monoxide leak led to the evacuation of a Stafford County hotel.
All seven were treated at Mary Washington Hospital and released after the incident at the Wingate Inn, off U.S. 17. The Stafford County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 hang-up call at about 9:30 a.m., said county spokeswoman Cathy Riddle. When a dispatcher called the number back, a hotel clerk said guests were experiencing dizziness and lightheadedness. Riddle said that when fire and rescue workers arrived at the hotel, seven people came forward complaining of the apparent symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. The 118 people inside the hotel were evacuated and the seven people were taken to the hospital. Riddle said that all seven were hotel guests, but no other information about them was available. After the hotel was evacuated, a hazmat team began ventilating it using large fans. When the team first entered the hotel, there were about 265 parts per million of carbon monoxide, said Stafford Assistant Fire and Rescue Chief Roger Sutherland. When they had finished ventilating about 12:30 p.m. there were only six parts per million. The highest concentration of carbon monoxide was found in the rooms directly above a first-floor boiler room, Sutherland said. Stafford County Fire and Rescue Chief Rob Brown said he thought the gas was escaping the boiler room through a vent. The hotel has two boiler rooms, one in the main section and a smaller one in a section of rooms added last year, Sutherland said. It is now up to the hotel to work with building engineers to identify and rectify the problem, he said. Hotel Manager Carol Cortesio declined to comment on the incident. Guests were allowed to re-enter the hotel about 1:30 p.m., Sutherland said, after the level of carbon monoxide had gone down to zero. Among the people evacuated was a group of Medicorp employees, some from Mary Washington Hospital, who were attending a workshop on situation awareness. The workshop has been held at the hotel every day this week.
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