Nearly three dozen people were being treated for exposure to carbon monoxide due to a defective boiler in the basement of a 12-story TriBeCa building Tuesday morning, the FDNY said.
“We found a defective boiler in the basement with some kind of broken pipe that was producing CO,” FDNY Chief of Department James Leonard said during a news conference near the incident, which happened at about 8:30 a.m. at 60 Murray St.
Thirty-two people, some of whom passed out, were being treated, Leonard said.
“All injuries were relatively minor and were consistent with high levels of carbon monoxide,” he said.
Leonard said the level of carbon monoxide recorded “could render you unconscious very, very quickly.”
People in the building reported that a woman passed out when a box in the basement was opened, sparking concerns of a suspicious package, but authorities determined that there was nothing dangerous in the box.
The box contained salad bowls, and the woman’s fainting was connected to the carbon monoxide, officials said.
The broken pipe was capped and the levels of carbon monoxide were dropping, the FDNY said at about 11 a.m.
Earlier reports indicating there was a fire in the building turned out to be false, an official said.
With Adeja Crearer and Ivan Pereira
