NEWS

Fumes overcome five at Morris Twp. tennis club

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

MORRIS TWP.  Police, fire and first aid responders and hazardous materials technicians rushed Thursday morning to the Twin Oaks Tennis and Fitness Center, where five people were sickened by carbon monoxide fumes produced by a power washer being used to clean a bathroom, police said.

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Police at 11:01 a.m. Thursday were notified via a 911 call of a hazardous material incident at 65 Columbia Road, the address of both the Twin Oaks Tennis and Fitness Center and Twin Oaks Hockey Rink.

Police Capt. Richard Ferrone said initial reports indicated two males had passed out from cleaning chemicals. Officers from the Operations Division responded and found one male unresponsive while two other males were having difficulty breathing.

Emergency medical personnel from the Morris Township Fire Department, Morris Minute Men First Aid Squad, Cedar Knolls First Aid, and paramedics from Morristown Medical Center responded to the scene. The three patients were transported to Morristown Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment, Ferrone said.

While the investigation still is active, the initial investigation shows that the three patients were contractors hired to clean a bathroom inside the tennis center, Ferrone said. While using a power washer inside the enclosed room, he said, it's believed that the three were overcome by carbon monoxide produced by the gasoline-powered power washer.

Although all three were transported to the hospital, none are believed to have suffered life threatening injuries, Ferrone said.

A triage center was established on scene by emergency service workers and Morris County Office of Emergency Management to evaluate the occupants of the facility. Two other victims were found among about thirty remaining occupants to be experiencing headache-type symptoms and they were transported to Morristown Medical Center for evaluation, Ferrone said.

Emergency services from Morris Township were assisted by Morristown Police and Fire Departments, Cedar Knolls Fire & First Aid, Madison First Aid, Florham Park First Aid, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Office of Emergency Management, Morris County Haz-Mat, and
the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

   Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.