Carbon monoxide leak in Leidschendam apartment building; 7 hospitalized

Seven residents of an apartment building on Prinses Annalaan in Leidschendam were taken to hospital on Tuesday to be checked for carbon monoxide poisoning. A total of 16 homes were evacuated, AD reports.

The fire department and ambulance service responded to the apartment building in large numbers on Tuesday afternoon after someone reported smelling gas in the building. Measurements showed that there was no gas leak, but there was a much too high concentration of carbon monoxide in the building.

"It turned out to be a problem in the boiler, which allowed carbon monoxide to spread through much of the apartment building", a spokesperson for the fire department said to AD. The evacuated homes are all located around the boiler room. "They had to be checked for carbon monoxide. All residents were checked in an ambulance."

The fire department switched off the boiler, so that no more carbon monoxide can be released. That meant that the building residents did not have heating for some time. The evacuated apartments were released and residents were allowed to return home.