Chula Vista Couple Hospitalized by Lethal Level of Carbon Monoxide

A Chula Vista couple was hospitalized Thursday after breathing in a lethal level of carbon monoxide.

The woman called 911, saying her husband was unconscious in the 400 block of Del Mar Court. While on the phone, the woman became disoriented. Chula Vista firefighters say they were saved just in time.

The couple had turned on their wall-mounted here for the first time this season, costing them a terrible price.

Robin Price watched as her next door neighbors were rushed to the hospital at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, suffering carbon monoxide poisoning.

“Kinda freaked me out actually,” Price said. “We have one of those wall heaters as well. I don't use it, but you never know. They could just -- like a leak could come through and you never know,” Price said.

Firefighters say that’s exactly what happened. Carbon monoxide at 15 parts per million is enough to set off a home detector. The Chula Vista home had 50 times that level.

The CVFD responds to between 20 and 30 such calls each year, but this was their first, said Deputy Chief Justin Gipson.

“If you are starting to get a dull headache , if you are nauseated if you start to vomit , if you feel overall weak throughout your body if you lose consciousness -- those are classic examples of getting carbon monoxide poisoning,” Gipson said.

If you experience any of those symptoms, he recommends you get outside and call for help.

The best prevention is to install a carbon monoxide detector and have your gas appliances and fire place inspected. SDG&E will do it for free.

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