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Carbon Monoxide Leak Prompts Evacuation Of Albany Park Building

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Carbon monoxide from a boiler leak Tuesday night forced as many as 70 people from their apartments in the Albany Park neighborhood on the North Side.

Monoxide detectors were in place, and the residents of the building, at 4919 N. Kedzie Av., were able to clear out before anyone was seriously harmed.

Although a Chicago Fire Department hazardous materials team was dispatched, and paramedics checked residents, no one was hospitalized, said Fire Department Media Affairs Cmdr. Joe Roccasalva.

The hazmat team ventilated the building, while the American Red Cross provided residents with overnight shelter.

Roccasalva said, so far, there has not been a spike in the incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning as Chicagoans activate their furnaces and boilers for the winter. Roccasalva said working carbon monoxide detectors can save lives, and that furnaces and chimneys should be inspected on an ongoing basis.

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