Halifax Professional Fire Fighters release:

At 1:10 AM this morning, Halifax Professional Fire Fighters responded to a suspected carbon
monoxide (CO) incident at an 18-unit apartment building on Albro Lake Road in Dartmouth. The
call followed quick-thinking staff at Dartmouth General Hospital discovering elevated CO levels
in a patient brought in by EHS paramedics. Members of our Hazardous Materials Team were
dispatched to the scene.

On arrival, fire fighters found dangerously high levels of CO throughout the building. Crews
immediately evacuated residents, accounted for all occupants, and located the source—a leak
in the exhaust system of the building’s boiler. Our members quickly isolated it and ventilated the
structure.

Five individuals were transported to hospital with symptoms consistent with mild to moderate
carbon monoxide poisoning. Specific medical details remain with EHS and Nova Scotia Health.
The situation was brought under control around 3:00 AM. Once the building was ventilated and
deemed safe, it was turned back over to the property owner, and unaffected residents were
allowed to return.

Carbon monoxide is invisible, odourless, and potentially deadly. These calls are especially
dangerous during colder months, when windows are closed and ventilation is limited—allowing
CO to build up undetected.

Halifax Professional Fire Fighters urge all residents to install working CO alarms on every level
of their home, especially if using gas, oil, or propane-burning appliances, or if they have an
attached garage. Common symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, dizziness, nausea,
and confusion. We thank our responding members, the EHS paramedics, and staff at Dartmouth
General Hospital for their coordinated and professional response.