Carbon monoxide alarm causes evacuation of 100 apartment residents at 3 am

Calgary residents had an early wake-up call Friday morning when their high rise was evacuated by the Calgary Fire Department.

A carbon monoxide alarm went off at 3 am in a building on 3rd Street SE, and the first 18 floors of the 42 floor building had to be evacuated, according to a release from the Calgary Fire Department.

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Roughly 100 residents took shelter in the casino across the street while firefighters used the building’s ventilation systems to clear out the carbon monoxide.

It is believed that the high levels – getting up to 100 parts per million – were caused by a combination of air pressure and wind pushing the building’s boiler exhaust back into its air intake system.

Three residents said that they felt nauseous due to the carbon monoxide and were assessed by Alberta Heath Services, but did not need to be treated.