Nine Hospitalized After Exposure to Carbon Monoxide at Westin Hotel at BWI Airport

All the patients are in stable condition, Anne Arundel County fire officials said late Sunday.

A damaged flue assembly for a water heater is to blame for a carbon monoxide leak that sent nine people at a hotel to the hospital.

BGE released the cause of the leak Monday afternoon, News4's Chris Gordon reported.

Anne Arundel County paramedics were called to the Westin Hotel near BWI Marshall International Airport just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday to help an employee who felt faint. While on the scene, the paramedics were alerted to the presence of carbon monoxide by their CO alarm, officials said. 

Fire officials say carbon monoxide levels capable of causing serious injury within two hours of exposure were found in parts of the hotel.

Seven floors of the hotel were evacuated, and 20 people were evaluated for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Four employees from the hotel's laundry room were taken to the Hyperbaric Chamber at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Five additional patients -- four employees and one guest -- were taken to local hospitals.

All the patients are in stable condition, Anne Arundel County fire officials said late Sunday.

At about 7 p.m., Anne Arundel fire officials tweeted that rescuers had cleared the scene; the building was turned back to hotel management, but it will not be occupied tonight.

Monday, officials at the Westin said the hotel was still closed.

Carbon monoxide poisoning is known as a silent killer: an odorless, colorless gas that can be generated by any appliance that burns fossil fuel, including any appliance in your house that burns coal, wood, charcoal, gasoline, or propane.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include headache, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness, so you should immediately get out of the house and into fresh air if you or a family member have any of these symptoms.

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