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Residents of King Edward Apartments in Oakland allowed to return home after brief evacuation
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The roughly 180 residents that evacuated their Oakland apartment building this afternoon have returned to their flats.
An apparent problem with a heating system caused elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the King Edward Apartments on Bayard Street and forced officials to evacuate the 10-story structure this afternoon.
One person was taken to the hospital, and residents were safe to return at 2:45 p.m.
A tenant's carbon monoxide detector exposed the toxic gas, which spread when a damper malfunctioned on a heating system, making the gas unable to pass through the chimney, Pittsburgh Deputy Fire Chief Michael Mullen said.
Crews used powered fans and an infusion of fresh air through open windows to rid all 10 floors of the toxic gas. They detected zero carbon monoxide "on all levels before they let anyone back in," Chief Mullen said.
Fire Battalion Chief Roy McDonald responded to the scene.
Situated between North Oakland and Shadyside, the King Edward has a total of 93 efficiency, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. It is located four blocks from the Carnegie Mellon University and seven blocks from Walnut Street. The building is owned by Sterling Land Co.
Chief Mullen said today was a good reminder that all people should have at least one carbon monoxide detector in their homes.
The device that detected the toxic gas today "could have saved something bad from happening," he said.
First Published October 7, 2012 1:47 pm
