SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) – A broken HVAC heater on the roof filled a school in Santa Rosa with carbon monoxide fumes Thursday morning, making students sick and forcing the building to be evacuated, authorities said.
According to the Santa Rosa Fire Department, the crews were dispatched to Bridge Church at 301 Fulton Road at 10:26 a.m.
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Arriving firefighters found an orderly evacuation in the two-story building that houses both the church and the Grace Christian Academy.
Students and teachers at the school informed the fire department that there was an odor in the building. Numerous students and several staff complained of symptoms consistent with exposure to carbon monoxide.
Firefighters used a 4-gas monitor to determine the presence of carbon monoxide in several classrooms and hallways in the building.
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A total of 12 students and two staff members complained of symptoms related to carbon monoxide exposure, were treated, and were released at the scene.
Upon further investigation by firefighters and PG&E crews, it was found that the source of the carbon monoxide was an HVAC unit on the school roof that provides heat to several classrooms.
The HVAC unit was covered with tarpaulin due to a water leak during the recent rain. When the HVAC unit was turned on to provide heat, the tarpaulin was preventing the clean air from circulating properly.
After the tarpaulin was removed, the HVAC unit was working properly. The rest of the HVAC units on the roof have been tested and found to be correct.
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Firefighters used fans to remove the carbon monoxide from the building.
