Carbon Monoxide Poisoning 'Overtook Entire Family' In Lawrence

LAWRENCE (CBS) -- Seven people in Lawrence were transported to the hospital Friday afternoon with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Two of them were young children, just two-years-old and 11-months-old.

The Fire Department said they responded to 22 Canton Street around 3:45 p.m. The house was not in the part of Lawrence that was directly impacted by the Columbia Gas explosions and fires.

According to the State Fire Marshall's Office, there were no working carbon monoxide alarms in the home. A malfunctioning boiler component may be to blame.

"The hospital said that they are amazed no one is dead," said victim Latoya Tillberg. She spoke to WBZ-TV after she returned from the hospital. She also said her family had been feeling sick for the last day or so.

"My sister was kind of light-headed, had a headache, went to go vomit in the bathroom, and she didn't make it all the way there she was stumbling.  So my mom told my dad to go check on my sister and when he went to get up he could not either. So it overtook the entire family at one time."

The fire department found dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide in the home when they responded to the family's 911 call.

Dep. Chief Kevin Loughlin explained, "Anything over 35 parts per million, we evacuate the building and we don [protective gear]. We had readings upwards of 360 parts per million."

The young children, Latoya's niece and nephew, are doing fine she said. She is more concerned about her elderly father. "The carbon monoxide in his system was so high that they are going to have to put him in an oxygen chamber for a while."

Latoya also said she was installing carbon monoxide alarms as soon as she went back into the home.