Fumes sicken SunTrust Mortgage workers in S. Richmond

More than 40 SunTrust Mortgage employees in the Manchester area of South Richmond were sickened by carbon monoxide yesterday after fumes from an emergency generator filtered into the building's ventilation system, Richmond fire authorities said.

Ten of the 41 employees examined by emergency medical crews from Richmond and the counties of Henrico and Chesterfield were taken to hospitals for further treatment, said Richmond fire Lt. Shawn Jones. The 10 exhibited a variety of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing, Jones said.

Three of the 10 were considered to have serious conditions, Jones said.

The trouble began about 2:45 p.m. after several employees on the building's sixth floor detected an odor in the building and complained of breathing difficulties. After first evacuating the area where the employees were working, fire crews evacuated the entire sixth floor. Everyone was brought outside, Jones said.

After monitoring the building's air quality, fire officials then decided to evacuate the entire building at 1001 Semmes Ave., Jones said.

Authorities believe fumes from the building's emergency power generator on the outside ground level somehow infiltrated the fresh-air ventilation system. The generator automatically switched on after an area power outage, Jones said.

"The windy conditions [yesterday] made the climate ripe" for fumes to enter the building through fresh air vents, Jones said.

Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or .