Transcript for At least 5 people taken to hospital after falling ill at Nashville hotel
The emergency evacuations at a hotel in downtown Nashville, after more than a dozen guests were suddenly sickened. Firefighters rushing to the scene, finding dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. ABC’s Victor Oquendo on this tonight. Reporter: The call came in around 6:45 A.M. From this downtown Nashville hotel. A report of a guest feeling sick. Cardiac or respiratory arrest on bravo four. Reporter: By 10:00 A.M. — Looks like we’re going to be transporting this one, chest pressure. Reporter: More than a dozen people treated, at least five take on the the hospital. Authorities say the leak originated on the hotel’s third floor, where the pool and gym are located. And the carbon monoxide levels were through the roof. A Normal reading for a safe level is 35 parts per million. At that point, our readings were at 500 parts per million, which is the highest that our tools can actually measure. Reporter: Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and poisonous. Symptoms can range from headaches to loss of consciousness and ultimately, death. Had this happened overnight and possibly had it happened in an area where people were sleeping, it could’ve been a much different outcome. Reporter: There were no core ban monoxide detectors on the third floor, but they’re actually not required by state law, because it only houses the gym and poom. No guest rooms. Investigators are working to determine if a newly installed heater is to blame. David? All right, Victor, thank you.
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