More than three dozen people were hospitalized due to high levels of Carbon Monoxide spewed by a faulty oil burner as a result of a fire in the basement of a building in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday morning. The incident began around 8:40 am at 60 Murray St.

The fire department of New York city says that the possible cause of poisoning is a faulty oil burner. The police also found a suspicious package at the scene, but no additional information on this matter was provided to the press.

Representatives of the FBI and NYPD's bomb squad arrived on the scene of the incident.

The number of victims has reached 34, with one in critical condition and two more in serious condition.

The remaining victims experienced mild symptoms.

On the incident, several fire trucks, and ambulances were available to handle the situation.

FBI was confused

According to William Aubry, the chief of Manhattan South Detectives, the F.B.I. came on the suspected place due to confusion over what people got sick.

The reason for the confusion was the worker who fainted after his colleague opened a box full of salad bowls in the basement at the Amish Market. That box also contained the powder and liquid, chief of Manhattan South Detectives said.

This event of his sickness made his co-worker connect it with the items in the box.

Later, the cause of the mass sickness was determined, and it happened as the result of the leakage of high levels of carbon monoxide.

According to Chief James Leonard, the level of carbon monoxide in the building exceeded the level of FDNY meter.

The NYPD's bomb squad and emergency services unit investigated the box, but determined that it posed no threat, and people were fainting because of the carbon monoxide leak, officials said.

The officials also mentioned that the box posed no threat after its investigation by the NYPD's squad and the emergency services. The people were fainting because of the leakage of carbon monoxide.

Eyewitness of the incident

One of the witnesses, Byron Pelaez, who works at Fernandez Shoe Repair, said that he was at work when at around 8:30 a.m. he heard some noise and sirens, so he went outside and saw three or four people lying on the sidewalk. Some people were leaving the store but hardly could walk. Some other people stumbled out of the mall.

Pelaez was nervous and worried much, as he thought a bomb was going to explode. He just did not know what to do and what exactly was going on in there.
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