24 Sickened By Carbon Monoxide At Midtown Church

July 16, 2019, 3:58 p.m.

The church is located on West 49th Street near 8th Avenue.

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Two dozen people were hospitalized after being overcome by carbon monoxide at a church in Manhattan.

The Fire Department responded to a call around 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday at St. Malachy's The Actors' Chapel on West 49th Street, between 8th Avenue and Broadway, and found elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the basement. Twenty-four people were taken to hospitals for treatment of minor injuries.

According to NBC New York, "Authorities say the high carbon monoxide levels appeared to be caused by a malfunctioning motor from the stove ventilation hood inside the church community room, where seniors gather every day for Meals on Wheels and activities. Sources say Encore Community Services rents out the basement. They provide meals and activities for seniors and typically feed 200 people a day."

The building was evacuated, and some people were treated on the sidewalk. One man told WCBS 2, "Everybody’s waiting to go up there to go eat. All of a sudden, people started putting their heads down, one guy said he was sick... My friend around the corner, I thought he was dead. We grabbed him right away and got him out here. Good thing the ambulances were here already. That’s one good thing, they had a quick response."

FDNY Chief Stephen Spall said, "At any point they could have gotten up and walked home — they were feeling ill and just needed assurance."

The FDNY urged New Yorkers to make sure they have working CO detectors (more details here):

St. Malachy's is known for being the church where a funeral for silent film star Rudolph Valentino and the wedding of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Crawford were held. Other parishioners over the years include Spencer Tracy, Elaine Stritch, Danny Thomas, Bob and Dolores Hope, and Ricardo Montalban, according to the church.