UPDATE 12:20 p.m. Eight are in serious condition and another six were taken to local hospitals for check-ups on Saturday morning after an apparent generator mishap led to high carbon monoxide levels in a Battery Lane apartment.
MCFRS units evacuated about 150 residents from 5015 Battery Lane, a 10-story apartment building, after responding to a call for a medical emergency and detecting high carbon monoxide levels.
Paramedics set up a hazmat area to treat victims and check on each person being evacuated.
MCFRS Assistant Chief and spokesperson Scott Graham said two of the patients in serious condition were transported to a trauma center on a state medvac helicopter. The other six in serious condition were transported by land.
MCFRS units were called to the scene at about 11 a.m. and found an adult male suffering from symptoms that appeared to be related to carbon monoxide poisoning, Graham said.
The first responders found a maintenance worker from Aldon Management, the landlord of the building, outside. He also apparently was overcome by carbon monoxide.
Graham said the maintenance worker was trying to access the generator, which had been running inside the building.
MCFRS units cut power to the generator and went floor-by-floor and apartment-by-apartment to evacuate residents. Fire fighters had to pull the fire alarms to alarm many to the evacuation.
One resident on the ninth floor said he heard about the evacuation from a friend elsewhere in the building.
Each resident was checked by medical staff and have been moved to a nearby community room to hear from Aldon officials.
Pepco and Washington Gas are on the scene to figure out what went wrong with the generator.
