Carbon monoxide scare sends four to Naperville hospital

A faulty water heater was to blame for an early morning carbon monoxide scare in Naperville that sent four people to the hospital Saturday morning.

Deputy Fire Chief Andrew Dina said four residents of a townhouse in the 1000 block of Bradford Drive called 911 at about 9 a.m. after they all felt sick.

Emergency responders almost immediately detected an increase of carbon monoxide levels as they entered the unit. They then treated the four residents and opened all the doors and windows of the townhouse.

"The house didn't have a working C0 detector so these people are really lucky they woke up," Dina said. "With the levels as elevated as they were, things can go bad pretty quickly."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, carbon monoxide is an odorless gas found in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars, small engines, stoves, fireplaces or furnaces. It can build up indoors and poison people and animals who breathe it.

All four residents were taken to and are still being treated at Naperville's Edward Hospital.

Dina said further investigation revealed the faulty water heater as the source of the increased carbon monoxide.

Adjoining units also tested with slightly higher levels for carbon monoxide as well but Dina said they were quickly brought back to a safe level by ventilating the neighboring units.