PLAISOW, N.H. — Four workers were hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning following an incident that prompted the evacuation of a grocery store in Plaistow, New Hampshire, late Monday night.
Emergency crews responding to multiple 911 calls for a reported odor inside the Shaw’s at 4 Plaistow Road just before 11:45 p.m. learned that multiple people were sick, according to Plaistow Fire-Rescue.
Firefighters, EMS, and police officers evacuated the building, started treating patients, and discovered a carbon monoxide reading of 300 parts per million near the rear of the store, officials said.
There were 14 workers in the store at the time of the incident, with four of them transported from the scene to area emergency rooms with what officials described as “varying degrees of CO poisoning symptoms.”
“Atmospheres with a CO reading of 300 PPM are considered the high end of a medium exposure by the U.S. Department of Labor,” the Plaistow Fire Department said in a statement.
An investigation revealed that the source of the carbon monoxide was a gas-powered pressure washer used indoors by a third-party cleaning company.
The store was ventilated, and the remaining 10 workers were allowed to return to work.
The four workers who were hospitalized are expected to make a complete recovery.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
