2 Killed by Gas Leak at Motel in Las Vegas

Two men died and at least 19 other people were taken to hospitals Friday morning after carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning water heater seeped into first-floor rooms at a 99-unit downtown motel, city officials reported.

Firefighters broke down doors at the Crest Motel to reach some of the victims, many of whom were unconscious when found. At least five of those hospitalized were later reported in serious condition.

Signs of the gas apparently showed up as early as Wendesday. Enrique Gonzales of Hawthorne told the Associated Press that early Wednesday his wife complained of dizziness and nausea and was taken to a nearby hospital and revived with oxygen. They were then transferred to another room of the motel. One of the bodies discovered Friday was in the room they had vacated.

Las Vegas Fire Chief Richard Gammon said other motel residents had reported headaches and dizziness Thursday night, but despite the complaints, no one detected the cause of the problem until paramedics, responding to a “sick person” call, found the two bodies.

Deputy City Manager Randall Walker said a ventilation pipe apparently had been improperly affixed during the recent installation of the water heater, causing the lethal gas to seep into first-floor rooms. “It sounds like this had been building up for three or four days,” Gammon said.

Walker said that although a building permit and certificate of inspection normally are required for such an installation, neither was immediately found on file at Las Vegas City Hall for the Crest Motel heater installation.

The men who died were found in adjacent rooms near the utility room in which the heater was housed. Their identifications were withheld pending notification of their families. The two-story motel, situated near the midtown “Glitter Gluch” gambling area, houses both semi-permanent residents like casino employees and short-term visitors.