Dozens sickened in carbon monoxide leak in Manhattan

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A carbon monoxide leak inside 60 Murray Street in Lower Manhattan sickened 32 people Tuesday morning.

Initial reports of a suspicious package containing an unknown substance were unfounded, according to fire officials. That early concern prompted the NYPD bomb squad and FBI agents to respond to the scene.

A restaurant worker who was unpacking supplies thought some powder had come out of a box and sickened a co-worker, but that wasn't the case, according to NYPD Assistant Chief William Aubry.

The cause of the leak was traced to a broken boiler pipe in the basement of a grocery store.

When firefighters arrived at about 8:40 a.m., several people were passed out in the basement and ground floor of the building near Broadway.

Authorities evacuated the 12-story building and closed the surrounding streets.

"The carbon monoxide was very high. If the meters max out at 1,000 parts per million and our meters were maxed out... which can render you unconscious very quickly," FDNY Chief of Dept. James Leonard said.

SkyFoxHD was overhead and several people were seen loaded onto stretchers. Their injuries were all considered non-life threatening, according to FDNY Chief of Dept. James Leonard.

A large fan was placed at the entrance to the building which is home to a grocery store to ventilate the area.