Saskatoon apartments evacuated after CO leak

A damaged ventilation system at a building in Saskatoon led to residents being evacuated after high levels of carbon monoxide were detected in the building. 

A resident at Greystone Court Apartments at 20 Bateman Crescent called 911 shortly after 6 p.m. on Friday after hearing a loud bang and CO alarms ringing in the hallway. 

When the first engine company arrived, firefighters detected high levels of CO within the building, though residents were not showing signs of CO poisoning. 

Initial test samples detected a level of 1600 parts per million (ppm).

The fire department's policy is to evacuate a building when carbon monoxide levels register above 50 ppm, so residents were led to a warm City of Saskatoon bus while SaskEnergy and a fire investigator worked to identify the source of the CO leak.

They determined that the exhaust pipe serving the building's boiler had been broken and the exhaust was flowing into the building. Before this, children had been seen playing around the exhaust outdoors and hanging off the pipes. 

SaskEnergy and the property owner repaired the ventilation and turned the boiler back on, and residents were able to return to their homes.