Carbon monoxide from wood burning stove sickens 10

LAUDERDALE LAKES, Fla. – Sheriff’s officials in Florida suspect seven children and three adults were sickened by carbon monoxide when they improperly used a wood burning stove in their apartment.

Rescue crews treated the family after being called to the apartment complex near Fort Lauderdale on Thursday morning. In a news release, Broward Sheriff’s Battalion Chief Michael Kane said the patients were vomiting and complaining of headaches.

All 10 patients were in critical condition when they were taken to a hospital.

A hazardous materials team ventilated the apartment and checked all nearby residences.

Kane says the family was using the wood burning stove as a makeshift heating device as temperatures dipped to the upper 50s in the area early Thursday.

The state fire marshal’s office is investigating.