MORENO VALLEY: Three firefighters hospitalized after investigating carbon monoxide leak

MORENO VALLEY – Three firefighters were hospitalized with carbon monoxide exposure after investigating reports of a carbon monoxide leak during an early-morning emergency Sunday, April 23. The incident happened at an apartment in the Tuscany Hills Apartments, on the 21000 block of Box Springs Road in Moreno Valley.

Ten firefighters from two engine companies responded to the apartments about 12:42 a.m., after Riverside County emergency dispatchers were notified regarding a carbon monoxide alarm going off inside the apartment, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman. They were later assisted by a hazardous materials team.

When the first arriving engine company made entry into the apartment, they “noticed a slight odor of gas within the apartment,” Newman explained in an incident report.

Officials at the scene immediately requested Southern California Gas Company personnel, one ambulance for the occupant from the apartment and a hazardous materials team to respond to the location.

“The hazard was mitigated within two hours of firefighters arriving on scene,” said Newman. “All three firefighters from the first arriving engine went to the hospital due to carbon monoxide exposure.”

The resident of the apartment, who had evacuated as soon as the carbon monoxide alarm activated, was evaluated and treated at the scene. He declined further treatment.

Riverside County Environmental Health later responded to the scene to ensure the apartment was safe to be re-inhabited.

No further updates were provided regarding the three hospitalized firefighters; however, Newman described their injuries as minor.

 

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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.