CO poisoning at local church prompts safety precautions

Provo — At 11 am Sunday morning, Provo Fire Department crews responded to a church full of carbon monoxide. The crews responded to the chapel located on Stadium Avenue in Provo. By the time they reached the church, several people were immediately rushed to the hospital. 

Natalie Nielsen, a professor at Brigham Young University, quoted her husband’s words saying, “I need to end this meeting immediately, we will close with a prayer.”

She then added that though the gas leak was in the young women’s room, the carbon monoxide was spreading into all the rooms in the church, ultimately forcing an immediate evacuation Sunday morning. 

Since this incident, 60 people have been admitted to local hospitals. On the heels of this carbon monoxide poisoning at the local church, Intermountain Healthcare shared several steps to take to reduce any risk of exposure to CO.

First, schedule an annual checkup for your furnace and hot water heater. Second, every home and business should have a carbon monoxide alarm. Third, replace your carbon monoxide alarm every five years. Fourth, be aware of the following symptoms that come from exposure to this odorless killer: headache, fatigue, confusion, dizziness, achiness and at times loss of consciousness.

With the incident Sunday at the local chapel and a rise in the use of heaters at home due to continuing temperatures dropping outside, Intermountain asks that if you feel you are suffering from the symptoms listed above, call 911 immediately.

If you are interested in purchasing a new detector, you can find them in home stores such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and even some grocery stores. Depending on what brand you pick for your home, the CO detectors can range anywhere between $10-15.