MONROE, Utah, Jan. 1, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Twenty-two people were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning Sunday after attending church services in Sevier County.
Paramedics responded to a pair of daytime medical calls at a building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Monroe, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Monday.
The first call was for a 4-year-old girl who was having breathing problems, though the child had been sick earlier in the week and was believed to be having symptoms of the earlier illness, the release states.
About an hour later, Sevier County EMS was called back to the same church after a man reported feeling sick, according to the sheriff’s office. Later, one of the man’s family members reported having headaches, and the Monroe City Fire Department was called in to check the building for possible carbon monoxide poisoning.
“There was higher levels of carbon monoxide discovered and the building was evacuated,” the news release says.
Several other individuals reported feeling ill and sought treatment at Sevier Valley Hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
“In all, 22 individuals were needing to be transported to hospitals out of the area for carbon monoxide poisoning treatment. This required 10 ambulance transports to get everyone to a hospital that had a barometric chamber that could treat the patients,” the release says.
Because this required more ambulances than Sevier County EMS could provide, Piute County and Gunnison Valley EMS officials assisted with transfers, with ambulance service from Ephraim, North Sampete and Gold Cross on standby, according to the sheriff’s office.
“All of these transfers were done while still responding to other medical calls, including a pursuit with a crash and a call to an unresponsive individual,” the release says.
“Thanks to all the agencies, especially those EMT’s who sacrificed their holiday to make this happen,” the statement continues.
The final transfer took place about 10 a.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The cause of the carbon monoxide poisoning remains under investigation.
“Church officials are working to resolve the problem,” the release says.
“We want to thank all the ambulance and hospital staff for their assistance in making all the transports possible, and the ambulance services who were on standby just in case. Just another example of how rural Utah works together to overcome critical incidents.”
