Chattanooga Marriott Evacuated, Four Hospitalized In Carbon Monoxide Incident

The Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., was evacuated Sunday morning after four of its employees were sickened by carbon monoxide gas.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/feb/15/carbon-monoxide-spurs-evacuation/

The four hotel employees, who included a pregnant woman, were sent to a local hospital for treatment. http://www.newschannel9.com/news/firefighters-988757-carbon-monoxide.html

All four of the employees had been working in the hotel’s basement when they began to feel ill. Three of the four Marriott workers showed high levels of carbon monoxide poisoning, and were due to be treated in a hyperbaric chamber.

Dozens of guests were moved out of the hotel, where 120 of its 128 rooms were occupied. They were sent to the nearby Residence Inn by Marriott.

Authorities suspected that a running truck that was parked near the hotel for a long time might have been the source of the carbon monoxide.

Paramedics had been called to the Courtyard Marriott on a medical call about 10 a.m. By 1:30 p.m. Sunday, staff and guests were able to go back to the hotel.

The culprit in this is not the truck, but likely the way in which the air intake for the hotels HVAC system was designed. If the fresh air intake is somewhere near where an engine is going to be running, there is a severe risk of carbon monoxide exposure. For more information on carbon monoxide poisoning, go to https://carbonmonoxide-poisoning.com