4 hospitalized after possible carbon monoxide leak in North Philadelphia

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Four people were hospitalized after a possible carbon monoxide leak in North Philadelphia.

The incident was reported around 2:30 p.m. Sunday on the 1200 block of Williams Street.

"I kept waking up saying my head is hurting, every 20 minutes, every half and hour. I'm dizzy, I'm lightheaded, and I said, 'something is wrong, something is wrong in this house,' " said Melvin Jones.

After feeling ill the night before, Jones tells us he decided to call the gas company before he and his wife headed to the hospital.

"As soon as he came in with his device, he said, 'it's carbon monoxide, everybody leave the house,' so we knew it was a leak somewhere," said Jones.

He says he tried to knock on his neighbor's door to alert her as well, but no one came to the door. Once at Temple University Hospital, officials notified the fire department other homes could be at risk of a possible carbon monoxide leak.

"We were not able to get an answer at the door so we made forcible entry into the home, where we brought two more occupants out," said Deputy Fire Commissioner Gary Loesch.

"They had to take Delores out the house, they had to resuscitate her. Her and another young lady," said Denise Armstrong of North Philadelphia.

"She was just lying on the ground with her eyes open while they were just giving her CPR, and I was like 'Oh my God, is she dead?' " said neighbor Zennie.

PGW, L&I and even police detectives came to the block draped in yellow crime tape.

The fire department says it's possible the two homes at the center of this incident had a higher than normal level of CO, but assures other residents on the block it's safe to stay at their homes.

"Do you feel like if you hadn't had gone to the hospital, you wouldn't have been able to save your neighbor's life," reporter Christie Ileto asked Jones.

"Definitely. Had we not gone there, she probably would have expired because she was already unresponsive," said Jones.

Fire crews did go door to door checking the levels of CO in each of the homes on the block, and residents have been allowed to return to their homes.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation.

Jones and his wife have been released from the hospital. The two other residents remain hospitalized at Temple.