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Firefighter Eating At Restaurant Notices Carbon Monoxide Symptoms, Saves 32 People

December 14, 2016

An off-duty firefighter was celebrating a friend's 30th birthday on Saturday night when he noticed several people who appeared to be suffering the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

L: River Ridge Taphouse / R: Stock Photo

Lonnie Wimmer, a Lewisville, NC, firefighter, was eating dinner at the River Ridge Taphouse in Clemmons.

"People came up to us and they had headaches and were feeling nauseous," Wimmer said. "Others were feeling intoxicated and had blurred vision."

Wimmer quickly determined that people were showing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and Wimmer called the Fire Department for help.

The restaurant was evacuated and paramedics treated about 30 people for exposure to carbon monoxide, said Steve Williams, an assistant fire chief with the Lewisville Fire Department.

A total of 16 people were taken to Wake Forest Baptist and Forsyth medical centers for treatment. All have been released from the hospitals, Williams said.