Some residents of Cove Village are saying enough is enough. Many tenants are now planning to move out because of the ongoing problems with carbon monoxide at the townhouse complex.
Last night another woman was sickened by the odorless gas at Cove Village.
This after at least 14 people fell ill just this summer.
"Now it's just bad. It's not livable," said resident Darrell Slater.
A woman who wishes to remain anonymous says she experienced the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning yesterday after turning on a new oven. She says last night's incident was not the first. She has had similar symptoms, like dizziness and tightness in her chest, at least eight times in the past two years.
She was treated by paramedics at the scene, but not transported. The woman says she waited seven months to use the gas stove after the property managers fitted each unit with new ovens. Shortly after turning it on, she felt sick.
A spokesman says "Sawyer Management is continuing to investigate what happened. But right now, there is no comment about last night's incident."
Many people we talked to don't want to be on camera for fear of retaliation, but they tell us they're moving out as soon as their lease is up.
"We're ready to move out of here. They not trying to fix the problem. They said they fixed it but they didn't. So what's the point of living here," said Slater.
This summer had a slue of carbon monoxide incidents with at least 14 people sent to the hospital from Cove Village. In 2005, a father and his two step-daughters were killed.
A common source hasn't been nailed down, but a spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Fire Department says there are many reasons you might see a CO leak.
"Any fuel-burning appliance will generate carbon monoxide, so a gas-powered stove can be a source. A flue that is not properly fitted can be a source. A fireplace can be the source," said Elise Armacost, Baltimore County Fire Department.
Sawyer Management says it has spent over $600,000 to correct carbon monoxide issues. Baltimore County has no plans to shutdown the complex.
There has been another carbon monoxide leak at the Cove Village Apartments in Essex.
Three people died in a CO leak at that apartment complex back in 2005. Since then there's been several more leaks that have sent residents to the hospital.
Monday night, fire crews were called to a home on Skipjack Ct. around 5:30 p.m. When they arrived, they founded elevated levels of carbon monoxide inside one apartment. The woman who lives there appears to be ok -- she felt sick and called 911 after her carbon monoxide detector went off.
For months, the company that runs the Cove Village Apartments has been replacing stoves and hot water heaters. But many people say they still live in fear.
‘The windows up and people sleeping with their windows up, because they're afraid,’ said a resident who only wanted to be identified as ‘Ms. Cookie.’
Monday evening a resident decided to use her new stove for the first time since it was installed. A short time later she felt nauseated, heard her CO detector and called 911. Paramedics treated her at the scene. ‘She was sitting on her porch and I asked her 'what's wrong?' And she said that she had co in her house and I asked her again, ‘I thought the thought they fixed the problem around here,’’ said Ms. Cookie.
Five people had to be taken to the hospital with CO exposure on June 24th. Six more people were transported on June 28th. And three more were taken to the hospital on August 19th. ‘Do they even know where the problem is coming from? Or are they trying to hide something -- you know they need to ensure these people that -- they want their rent on time so they should be making sure these people here are safe,’ said Ms. Cookie.
A spokesman for Sawyer Management, which runs the Cove Village Apartments, told ABC-2 News that the company will be investigating Monday night’s incident to find out what may have gone wrong inside that apartment.
