SAN ANTONIO — Two 9-1-1 calls brought the San Antonio Fire Department to the Comfort Suites at Alamo Downs Parkway near Loop 410 on Tuesday morning.
About 100 people were evacuated as fire investigators worked to find the leak.
"An exhaust valve from the water heater had become dislodged and the exhaust from that combustion was going up into the air ventilation system. It affected three rooms,” SAPD spokesman Joe Arrington explained. “We had 12 people that were transported, four of them pretty serious and the rest for evaluation, at local hospitals.”
It took about four hours to fix the problem and ventilate rooms across the hotel. The hotel did pass its previous safety inspections.
SAFD explains that carbon monoxide is a silent killer. It's colorless and odorless. They also say that this is a reason every home or business with gas appliances needs to have carbon monoxide detectors.
"They offer portable detectors on the free market you can take anywhere with you," Arrington said.
That's right, even Amazon has detectors you can take with you. SAFD says that, inside your home, you need to check your pilot lights, making sure each one has a strong blue flame. Anything else means you might have a leak.
Generally, firefighters see more of these calls in the winter.
"It's because of the way people choose to heat their homes a lot of times or running generators too close to homes, so we see more of this during the winter, but it can happen anytime,” Arrington said.
SAFD also says that anyone living with young children or elderly people should have a working carbon monoxide detector and that they should be placed near bedrooms.
If you're traveling and concerned, be sure to ask the hotel front desk about carbon monoxide detectors.