NC firefighters evacuate Charlotte apartments

CHARLOTTE -- Ten residents of an apartment building in North Carolina's largest city have been taken to hospitals with carbon monoxide poisoning. Charlotte Fire Department spokesman Robert Brisley said firefighters arriving shortly after a 4 a.m. call Monday found a faulty heater in one apartment that resulted in dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. The six people in that apartment were hospitalized. Brisley says three other apartments had to be evacuated at the Birchcroft Apartment complex in east Charlotte. WSOC-TV reported that three people were in serious condition. Brisley said he didn't know the condition of the victims, but said the high levels of carbon monoxide exposure are very dangerous. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)