What should have been an exciting weekend evening became a health nightmare when 81 people had to be treated for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning on Saturday, December 13.
These patients were hockey players, staff, and spectators present in an ice rink located in Lake Delton, Wisconsin.
The rink was filled with people who were there to either play or watch a game between Rochester Ice Hawks and Dells Ducks, which both belong to the minor league.
The game began at 7 in the evening, but right after the game, many players started complaining about getting sick including the feeling of being dizzy and nauseated. Some vomited while one eventually collapsed.
Ice Hawks team, who went to a nearby restaurant, had to be notified via their coach thirty minutes after. They were then transferred to the hotel where a triage unit had been set up and where the paramedics could perform tests on them.
Based on the initial reports of the fire department, it's possible that the main cause of the CO leak is one of the resurfacing machines that treat the ice right after every game. Although it was checked by one of the rink's employees, he thought that it was perfectly fine. But then, it may have not rendered propane very well and that ventilation wasn't enough to avoid CO poisoning.
All remaining activities in the rink for the next two days had been cancelled. The defective machine is already considered out of service while the other is set for testing on Monday, December 15.
The state of Wisconsin doesn't require buildings such as the rink to install a CO detector although the fire chief leading the investigation encourages owners that use appliances that run on fuel to take the initiative and set up as many as they can afford.
CO poisoning is sometimes hard to detect as the initial symptoms can mimic those of the flu. A blood test has to be performed immediately since it is life threatening.
