Carbon monoxide alarm saves lives

A carbon monoxide detector saved the lives of several residents in a Rolling Meadows apartment building Thursday morning, fire officials said.

A gas leak set off the detector at 1:30 a.m. at 4700 Arbor Drive. Rolling Meadows firefighters arrived to find elevated levels of carbon monoxide on the first floor and high levels of the gas in the basement.

Firefighters evacuated all 30 units in the building with the help of the police department and building management. The gas leak turned out to be the result of a malfunctioning heating system in the basement.

The building was aired out with high powered fans, and the heating was shut off for the night.

There were no reported illnesses. Building management made arrangements for residents to spend the night at a local hotel.

“Carbon monoxide detectors save lives,” Rolling Meadows Fire Battalion Chief Steve Klein said.

“If the detector had not been there to go off, there would have been many people sick or worse.”