AKRON, Ohio — A woman died after a carbon monoxide leak was discovered at an Akron apartment building.
According to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office, the victim was 66-year-old Eva Burgess of Mentor.
At least seven people were transported to hospitals and some of the victims were found unconscious, firefighters said.
It was unclear as of Friday evening if any of residents were still receiving hospital treatment.
Fire officials said the discovery of dead pet birds in a cage likely saved several tenants' lives.
The ordeal unfolded along Rocky Brook Drive in the Merriman Valley.
Emergency responders were called to the Timber Top Apartments just before 11 p.m. Thursday for a medical emergency in one of the apartments.
Akron Fire Lieutenant Tim Morrison told News 5 that a 23-year-old man living there felt ill and said he was worried about his birds and home.
The lieutenant on the scene noticed a couple of dead birds in a cage.
"He had like eight or nine birds in a row in his house. And what happened was one of the lieutenants walked over to the birds' cage just to say, 'Oh, everything's fine.' And he looked in and he saw four dead birds on the bottom of the cage, so that sent off a radar for him too. Something's not right," Morrison said.
The lieutenant called in a battalion chief to check for carbon monoxide and ultimately discovered extremely high levels in that unit and throughout the building.
All 20 apartments had to be evacuated.
Morrison said the carbon monoxide levels were so high some tenants were unresponsive and had to be rescued from their apartments.
"They went directly above, knocked on the door. Everybody else was being evacuated out of the apartments. This particular apartment, they had to bust down the door and they were able to get in there and rescue two babies. And there were two adults in there that were both unconscious," said Morrison.
Firefighters ventilated the building and are working to identify the cause.
Clarence Tucker, deputy mayor for public safety, said investigators were focusing on a boiler that was fired up Thursday as the possible source for the CO leak.
"That is what we suspect at this point in time, but we cannot confirm," Tucker said.
According to Tucker, firefighters have not found carbon monoxide detectors in the apartment building.
Danielle Novak, the managing director for AIY Properties which manages Timber Top apartments, said she is "beside herself" over the tragedy. She said the company is not required to install carbon monoxide detectors, but that could change.
"The information that I'm gathering thus far is the boiler in the building is the source," Novak said. "It's (CO detectors) not required and we have bank and insurance inspections all the time. I don't believe it's required right now, but even knowing this, we're going to get in and make sure we have them."
The American Red Cross assisted people impacted by the evacuations.
Fairlawn and Cuyahoga Falls Fire Departments assisted Akron Fire with the call.
Apartment residents were allowed back into their homes to gather some belongings, but they were not permitted to sleep there Friday night.
Firefighters said this was a cautionary tale that highlights the importance of inspecting homes and making sure carbon monoxide detectors are installed.
"You can't smell it. You can't taste it. You won't know it's there, but it's very deadly. What we recommend is that everyone have a carbon monoxide detector in their home on all levels," Tucker said.
