Carbon monoxide exposure in Ottawa sends 10 to hospital

The Ottawa Police Service says ten people were taken to hospital, one of them in life-threatening condition, after being exposed to carbon monoxide in the Vanier neighborhood on Sunday morning.

Six adults and four children suffered varying degrees of poisoning, according to police. They were transported to various hospitals, Ottawa paramedics said.

All four children are in a serious but stable condition. An adult is in a life-threatening condition. The other five are in a serious but stable condition.

Ottawa police say they received a call just after 1 p.m.

When the police arrived at the scene, they found that ten people were in distress.

“There was a vehicle driving inside the garage and the garage door was closed. Therefore, there was not enough ventilation for the exhaust coming out of the vehicle,” said Insp. Scott Pettis with the Ottawa Police Service.

“It is our understanding that the family living at the address is new to Canada. They are not really familiar with the cold. And they were driving their vehicle to make it warm for them to travel at one point. Not knowing that they then had to open their garage door to properly ventilate the area.”

The patients were discovered by a friend of the family who was passing by and saw them in distress. The friend then called 911.

The police state that the incident is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

“The gas company is still working and just doing their checks to make sure everything else is OK before we allow the families to come back,” Pettis said.

“I can say that there are adequate alarm systems inside the house, and whether they were in working order or not, we’re not quite sure yet.”

Ottawa Police Insp. Scott Pettis on December 22, 2024. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)

Area councilor Stephanie Plante says the gas affected all three connected townhouses. She says every family has been evacuated.

“People didn’t expect to have this kind of holiday, and my thoughts are with them and their families,” Plante said.

Police are reminding residents to make sure that all the home’s fire and carbon monoxide alarms are working.

Carbon monoxide, sometimes known as “the silent killer,” is an odorless, colorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, vomiting, headache and eventually loss of consciousness and death.

Nearby residents were shocked

Victoria Robinson, who lives nearby, says she was woken up by screaming and yelling.

“The whole street was emergency vehicles. Then I saw right in front of the house that there were two people on the ground receiving chest compressions,” Robinson said.

“It was very upsetting.”

Nearby resident Nicholas Laplante said they did not know the people in the home well, but that they recently moved to the area.

“My neighbor was there, him next to the unit, helping him, welcoming him into our house with his dog because it was cold outside,” Laplante said.

“It hits hard. It’s a shame. It’s the holidays. We hope everyone is doing well.”

A utility worker monitors a gas line on Granville St. after 10 people were hospitalized with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)