Church, School Evacuated During Carbon Monoxide Exposure

SANTA ROSA, CA — Carbon monoxide was circulated into several classrooms at a Santa Rosa church and school campus Thursday in a mishap involving an HVAC unit, fire officials said.

Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the Santa Rosa Fire Department received a report of a possible natural gas leak inside The Bridge Church and Grace Christian Academy, 301 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa Fire Department Battalion Chief Matthew Gloeckner said.

An orderly evacuation was underway at the two-story building when the first engine crew arrived.

"Students and teachers at the school stated that there was an odor inside the building and numerous students and several of the staff were complaining of symptoms consistent with exposure to carbon monoxide," Gloeckner said.

The fire department requested several AMR ambulance crews and an AMR supervisor to help evaluate students and staff.

Fire personnel investigated the smell, completed the evacuation and sampled the air in the building. Using a four-gas monitor, fire personnel confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide — a colorless, odorless gas that can be lethal at high levels — in several classrooms and hallways in the building, Gloeckner said.

In all, 12 students and two staff members complained of symptoms consistent with exposure to carbon monoxide. None required hospitalization and all were released at the scene.

"Upon further investigation by SRFD and PG&E, it was determined that the source of the carbon monoxide was an HVAC unit on the roof of the school that provides heat to several classrooms," Gloeckner said. "The HVAC unit was covered by a tarp due to a water leak around it during the recent rain. When the HVAC unit was turned on to provide heat to several classrooms, the tarp prevented proper circulation of clean air."

Carbon monoxide is produced when heating air but because of the tarp over the unit, it was not properly disseminated into the outside atmosphere and was recirculated into several rooms in the building, he said.

The other HVAC units on the roof were functioning properly and once the tarp was removed from the one unit, it also functioned properly.

Fire department units used battery-operated fans to remove the carbon monoxide from the building, then declared it safe for re-entry.

"The Santa Rosa Fire Department would like to remind the public that as we transition to the cold winter months it is important for every residence to have not only a working smoke detector but also a working carbon monoxide detector," Gloeckner said. "Both detectors save lives and provide residents with early warning in the event of fires or carbon monoxide exposures within their residences."