34 recovering from carbon monoxide poisoning after chimney apparently blocked at Pa. church

34 recovering from carbon monoxide at Pa. church

SUGAR GROVE, Pa. — Thirty-four people are recovering from carbon monoxide poisoning apparently caused by a blocked chimney in a northwestern Pennsylvania church.

The adults and children who got sick were attending church services and a social hour Sunday morning at Hessel Valley Lutheran Church in Sugar Grove Township, about 115 miles northeast of Pittsburgh near the New York border.

Church member Verne Ekdahl says a young woman passed out during the church service and the church was evacuated when several others fell ill during the social hour.

Most were taken to Warren General Hospital, where four had to be flown to Pittsburgh for treatment, and six others to Women’s Christian Association Hospital in Jamestown, N.Y.

Hospital officials say everyone is expected to recover.