NEWSDAY: Leonard's carbon monoxide scare determined
Leonard's carbon monoxide scare determined
BY LUIS PEREZ
[email protected]
March 12, 2007, 3:44 PM EDT
A carbon monoxide scare that briefly hospitalized two dozen people at a popular Great Neck catering hall was caused by a small carpet accidentally laid over an outdoor boiler vent, Nassau County fire marshalls said Monday.
The blocked air intake vent outside Leonards of Great Neck, which also forced the early Sunday evacuation of hundreds more who gathered at the hall for an Irish Heritage ball, was most likely caused by employee error, officials said.
A manager of the Northern Boulevard business confirmed that the air vent was blocked by a small rug, but declined to say if an employee was resposible for the snafu.
'Unfortunately, something as simple as a small rug that was placed outside the building could have been done by anyone,' said Maurizio Vendittelli, a manager of the hall. 'I'm just happy we were able to find it before anyone got seriously hurt.'
About two dozen people were taken to area hospitals after reporting upset stomachs, nausea and fainting, officials said.
Fire marshalls were still investigating Monday how high the carbon monoxide levels were inside the hall, said Assistant Chief Fire Marshall Rich Magee.
Readings of the colorless, odorless and lethal gas taken after police and firefighters arrived to evacuate and ventilate the hall were about 29 parts per million, but that is not a high enough level of contamination to get healthy adults ill, Magee said.
'In order for those people to get sick those, readings should have been higher,' Magee said, adding that blood samples from victims would show the initial levels of severity.
Meanwhile, Vendittelli said the hall was back open for business.
BY LUIS PEREZ
[email protected]
March 12, 2007, 3:44 PM EDT
A carbon monoxide scare that briefly hospitalized two dozen people at a popular Great Neck catering hall was caused by a small carpet accidentally laid over an outdoor boiler vent, Nassau County fire marshalls said Monday.
The blocked air intake vent outside Leonards of Great Neck, which also forced the early Sunday evacuation of hundreds more who gathered at the hall for an Irish Heritage ball, was most likely caused by employee error, officials said.
A manager of the Northern Boulevard business confirmed that the air vent was blocked by a small rug, but declined to say if an employee was resposible for the snafu.
'Unfortunately, something as simple as a small rug that was placed outside the building could have been done by anyone,' said Maurizio Vendittelli, a manager of the hall. 'I'm just happy we were able to find it before anyone got seriously hurt.'
About two dozen people were taken to area hospitals after reporting upset stomachs, nausea and fainting, officials said.
Fire marshalls were still investigating Monday how high the carbon monoxide levels were inside the hall, said Assistant Chief Fire Marshall Rich Magee.
Readings of the colorless, odorless and lethal gas taken after police and firefighters arrived to evacuate and ventilate the hall were about 29 parts per million, but that is not a high enough level of contamination to get healthy adults ill, Magee said.
'In order for those people to get sick those, readings should have been higher,' Magee said, adding that blood samples from victims would show the initial levels of severity.
Meanwhile, Vendittelli said the hall was back open for business.
