Carbon Monoxide in Caves Kills Three
Two boys and a girl died Tuesday, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning, while exploring caves near the Mississippi River, authorities said. Two other boys were hospitalized.
The five teenagers had entered a complex known as the Wabasha Street caves Tuesday afternoon, District Fire Chief Martin Ludden said. They were not immediately identified.
One boy managed to get out of the caves and directed rescue workers to his friends, about 600 feet into the caves.
“There was smoke in there,” the teen, who wouldn’t provide his name, told KARE-TV. “I started feeling lightheaded.”
The source of the smoke was not immediately known, but one official said cave visitors sometimes started fires.
The Wabasha Street caves are a large network that lies across the Mississippi from downtown St. Paul. Fire officials said the complex extended for miles along the river.
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