Crime & Safety

Carbon Monoxide Hospitalizes 11 From Laurel Hotel

The source of the carbon monoxide was a pool heater, according to fire and rescue officials.

Nearly a dozen people staying at a hotel in Laurel had to be hospitalized Saturday night after a carbon monoxide leak, according to Eric Proctor, spokesman for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue.

The department was called to the scene at about 8:32 p.m. for reports of a possible chemical leak at the Sleep Inn on Route 1. Five children were among those first complaining of headaches and nausea, Proctor said.

Crews detected high levels of carbon monoxide and evacuated the hotel, bringing 30 people out of the building. Twenty of those people needed medical evaluation, which led to 11 people being taken to area hospitals, Proctor said.  

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The cause of the leak was a pool heater, "which was placed out of service," he said.

People were allowed back in the hotel after it was fully ventilated, Proctor said.

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