Carbon Monoxide Leak Found In Tampa Apartments, 1 Man Critical

TAMPA, FL — One person has been hospitalized in critical condition after carbon monoxide leaked into a Tampa apartment complex Friday.

Tampa Fire Rescue crews were called to the Oaks at Riverview apartments in the 7500 block of North Florida Avenue just after 10:45 a.m. and found a man unconscious in his apartment on the second floor.

As crews moved the man out of the building to an ambulance, they reported a heavy odor of exhaust in the air inside the apartment complex.

A hazardous materials team was called. While awaiting the team, the fire crews went back inside the apartment complex to look for others suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

They found five more people who'd been affected. Two people were taken to the hospital in stable condition and one in critical condition. Three more people had symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure, but refused treatment.

The hazmat team found a generator inside one of the apartment units on the first-floor of the three-story complex that was the source of the carbon monoxide. Another generator was being operated on the open balcony of a unit on the third floor.

The hazmat crews found high levels of carbon monoxide in 12 of the 250 rental units and evacuated all the residents. They then ventilated the apartment complex floor by floor, unit by unit, until there was no carbon monoxide present in the building.

The residents were allowed to go back to their apartments.

A representative of the Tampa Housing Authority arrived on the scene and is investigating the incident as well.

The Oaks of Riverview, completed in Seminole Heights in 2009, is among eight affordable housing projects operated by the Tampa Housing Authority. It has 76 units of senior housing and 174 units for families.

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Henry Williams said does not believe the apartment units were equipped with carbon monoxide detectors.

"It appears at this time there were no carbon monoxide detectors operating," Williams said. "With that said, the investigation is still fluid and additional details may be discovered."

The Tampa Housing Authority said it is issuing a news release on the incident. Patch will share that information as soon as it's available.

As of Dec. 27, 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development will require that all affordable housing that receives federal rental assistance must be equipped with alarms or detectors.

The reason residents were using electric generators is unclear. They are typically used by homeowners when there's a power outage caused by a major weather event.

However, people who can't afford to pay their electric bills and have their power disconnected by the utility company have been known to use generators to provide power to their homes.