A total of 22 people were hospitalized early Tuesday after a gas leak occurred at an apartment complex in southwest Miami-Dade.
County Fire Rescue officials confirmed that They received a phone call overnight about people feeling sick inside the apartment building and, when the teams arrived, they detected a gas leak.
More than twenty county fire units responded to the scene to check the carbon monoxide levels in the Hemingway Villa Condominiums building, located at the intersection of 94th Avenue and 40th Terrace.
A resident told the local press that Firefighters arrived at the building around 4:30 a.m. and knocked on the doors to evacuate residents.
The source indicated that the rescuers broke down the doors of all the units in which they did not receive a response.
Rescuers found a gas leak from a faulty boiler at the back of the building.
Although several people were taken to hospitals, there were no fatalities.
“Total, We evaluated 60 patients, 22 of whom were transported to area hospitals for additional care and treatment.“said Deputy Chief of Fire Operations Danny Cardeso.
Erika Benitez, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade firefighters, said people hospitalized had symptoms from carbon monoxide inhalation such as confusion, nausea, headache, chest pain and in some cases difficulty breathing.
In the most serious cases there were people on the verge of losing consciousness.
Authorities recommended residents install carbon monoxide detectors with alarms in their homes that can alert them in the event of such an emergency.
Benítez explained that carbon monoxide poisoning can result in mild conditions, but It can also lead to death in people exposed to its inhalation.
Fire crews remained at the scene for hours ventilating the homes and leaving the doors open. The gas has been turned off.
Once building levels are safe, residents will be able to return to their homes.
