Wedding Celebration Evacuated, 26 People Transported Due To Carbon Monoxide Incident
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Incident Details
26 people were transported to UW Hospital East for carbon monoxide poisoning Saturday night.
Engine 5 and Medic 5 were originally called to Salon Centinela (5018 Blazing Star Drive), an indoor soccer club, after someone fainted during a wedding celebration that was being held there. As they were escorted to the patient, paramedics were approached by other guests concerned about an odor in the building and a generator running indoors. Additional guests soon reported to paramedics they also weren’t feeling well.
Responding firefighters entered the building with handheld air monitors, which immediately detected carbon monoxide near the entryway and ultimately peaked at 405 parts per million in the center of the building.
Though the generator supplying power to the live band was being moved outside, the Madison Fire Department determined the building needed to be evacuated and ventilated. Engine 5 shut down the band, took a microphone, and ordered a calm evacuation of approximately 300 wedding guests. Engine 5 and Ladder 8 proceeded with ventilation of the building.
A Madison Metro bus was called to the scene to provide a medical staging area for the many wedding guests feeling ill and seeking treatment, and UW Hospital East set up a triage area in their ER bay to assist with the influx of patients.
Patients ranged from young children to older adults. Some who were transported were family members with no health-related complaints. According to the Dane County 911 Communications Center, area hospitals also received walk-in patients following this incident, in addition to the patients transported by ambulance.
Many of the patients suffered from headaches, dizziness, and/or nausea. All remained alert with stable vital signs, and all are expected to be okay.
This incident illustrates the dangers of using any fuel-powered equipment, such as generators, indoors. Carbon monoxide is a known byproduct of this equipment, and it quickly becomes deadly when the odorless gas accumulates in a closed space. Learn more about carbon monoxide and how to prevent CO poisoning.
The Madison Fire Department wishes to thank Madison Metro, UW East, and the other area hospitals that assisted with this significant incident.