Grocery workers, others sickened by gas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Twelve people at a Harris Teeter store Uptown were taken to the hospital Wednesday morning to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Emergency crews responded to the Harris Teeter on 6th Street just before 6 a.m.

A Harris Teeter spokeswoman says a subcontractor was using a propane-fueled pressure washer to clean the drains inside the store when the worker became ill.

That man was taken to Carolinas Medical Center in potentially life-threatening condition. The spokeswoman says the worker is coherent and awake, but doctors are still running tests.

There were four Harris Teeter employees also in the store at the time; three of them were taken to the hospital and all are expected to be OK. In addition, four firefighters and two medics were sickened by carbon monoxide when they arrived to treat the workers, according to emergency crews.

Two other people were taken to the hospital, bringing the total number to 12; it's not clear who they are, but it is believed that they may have also worked on the cleaning crew.

Charlotte Fire Department Capt. Rob Brisley said the carbon monoxide was contained in the store, so there was no need to evacuate the condominiums above it.

Labor department workers have to look at the equipment inside the store before customers can be allowed back in.

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