Carbon monoxide from generators at Tampa apartment complex hospitalizes 2, officials say

TAMPA — Generators used at an apartment complex caused high levels of carbon monoxide Friday morning, sending two people to the hospital, Tampa Fire Rescue said.

A man believed to be around 50 was found unconscious and unresponsive in his second-floor apartment at the Oaks at Riverview in a building located in the 7500 block of N. Florida Avenue, the agency said in a news release Friday afternoon.

First responders arrived to treat the man around 10:45 a.m. and noticed a strong smell of exhaust, later determined to be from two generators, according to Capt. Henry Williams, a spokesperson for Tampa Fire Rescue.

A hazmat crew called to the scene detected high levels of carbon monoxide — a dangerous, colorless and odorless gas, he said. Twelve units were affected, and all were searched and evacuated.

The man who was found unconscious is in critical condition, and the other person is in stable condition, Williams said. Three other tenants showed symptoms of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning but refused treatment, he said.

Crews found two generators in the apartment building — one on the first floor, the other on the third, the release said.

According to Williams, a third-party restoration company hired by the apartment complex to help with repairs brought the generators after a small fire in a third-floor apartment Thursday evening.

Automatic sprinklers already had extinguished the fire when Tampa Fire Rescue personnel arrived around 5:45 p.m., he said, and power was turned off to that unit.

Water from the sprinklers on the third-floor apartment had caused water runoff on the first floor, Williams said, so the restoration company brought the two generators to power fans used to dry the floors on both levels.

The company placed one generator on the outdoor balcony of the affected apartment, and the other one was placed in an enclosed, vacant, retail-like space on the first floor, he said.

“So as the generator ran, obviously the amount of carbon monoxide increased,” Williams said.

A person from the third-party company came to check on the restoration work Friday morning, and that’s when the unconscious man was discovered, Williams said.

The apartment building was ventilated floor by floor, unit by unit, until carbon monoxide was no longer detected in the readings, the news release said.

Investigators did not know the name of the restoration company hired to assist with any repairs needed for the apartment, Williams said Friday.

Carbon monoxide poisoning commonly happens during cold snaps, when people bring in generators for heat and run them inside their homes, he said, and Tampa Fire Rescue already has had a few calls this year where high carbon monoxide readings were detected.

“It’s always a concern, because ... carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas,” Williams said. “And so, time is of the essence.”

People should have a carbon monoxide alarm in their home or apartment, Williams said. It’s nearly as important as a fire alarm, he said.

People should never use a generator inside a home or garage, even if windows or doors are open, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns on its website. Generators should only be used outside, over 20 feet away from a home.

It is unclear if the Oaks at Riverview had any carbon monoxide alarms at the apartment complex, Williams said.

A phone call to the Oaks at Riverview was not returned Friday.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.