4 critical after carbon monoxide poisoning on Far South Side

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Four people are in critical condition after they were exposed to carbon monoxide at a Far South Side home Wednesday night.

A Chicago Fire Dept. spokesperson said four people were found unconscious from carbon monoxide poisoning in a home in the 300-block of W. 107th Street.

A relative said a 79-year-old man was inside the home with his two daughters and granddaughter. One of the women's husbands left the home, reportedly to go to the store. He then got a call from his wife inside the home, who said people were passing out and she didn't know why.

"They were just laying 'em on the ground, body after body, and there was like five or six ambulances out here, fire trucks, police cars, and everything," said Claudette Stephen, a witness.

Initial carbon monoxide readings were 1000 parts per million, and 20-30 minutes of exposure to that level is lethal, officials said.

Fire officials said there was a problem with the stove and they were using all four burners on the stove, as well as the oven, to heat the home.

They were taken in critical condition to Little Company of Mary, Roseland and Metro South hospitals.