FORT WASHINGTON, Md. (WUSA) -- A Fort Washington family of five found suffering from exposure to carbon monoxide have been flown to a Baltimore hospital in critical condition.
Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire Department, says fire crews were asked to check on the family by officials from Children's National Medical Center around 12:30 Tuesday morning. Doctors at the facility were treating a child who had been brought to the hospital from the family home in the 8300 block of Bernard Drive Monday evening. After discovering the child's blood work showed high levels of carbon monoxide, doctors tried to contact the family but were unable to reach anyone at the home. That's when they called upon the help of the fire department.
When firefighters arrived at the home they found the family of five unconscious and quickly removed them from the house. The first responders immediately began treating them for carbon monoxide poisoning at the scene. Fire crews then entered the house to take readings, finding high levels of CO, approximately 450 parts-per-million. Mark Brady says a level of just 5 parts-per-million is considered unhealthy.
Brady says the mother, father and three children were flown by meda-vac helicopters from Maryland State Police and United States Park Police to a hospital in Baltimore that has a hyperbaric chamber. Although some of the victims began to display some signs of improvement from their initial treatment at the scene, all five family members were in critical condition when they were transported.
According to Brady, the sickened children range in age from infant to pre-teen.
A nephew at the scene later told 9News Now that everyone seemed to be getting better except the mother, who is still in serious condition.
The initial investigation conducted by firefighters at the home indicates a malfunctioning natural gas furnace may be the source of the high CO levels. The furnace was turned off and the house was ventilated by firefighters.
