[yooper]

OK, I just read the story. They were in a building and found unresponsive in their beds. This leads me to suspect that the building's heating system is the culprit, although it could be any system which burns stuff, such as an incinerator.

I also see several are in serious condition. That's bad, because prolonged exposure could lead to brain damage. Prayers out for these people!

[yooper]

"Bradbery said the cause of the leak appeared to be a faulty valve on the hot water heater in the women’s four-bedroom apartment that was stuck open."

Well, there you go; it was a hot water heater, which I presume was burning natural gas. One of the by-products of this burning is CO.

I reiterate, if they're alive now they'll likely be OK. At least I hope so.

One thing that troubles me here is that the culprit device is describes as an open "valve". If its the main heater gas valve which was faulty, the possibility exists that these people succumbed to natural gas, not propane, as this gas would escape from a valve prior to burning and emitting CO.

Hopefully, VA emergency staff have noted this also.