Hockey players sickened by carbon monoxide in Wisconsin, ND
Junior league hockey players sickened by an apparent carbon monoxide leak at a Wisconsin rink over the weekend are taking the day off from practice.
Authorities have blamed an ice resurfacing machine for a suspected carbon monoxide leak that sent dozens of people to hospitals Saturday. The leak was discovered after players and others began feeling ill at a Lake Delton ice rink during a game between the Dells Ducks and Ice Hawks from Rochester, Minnesota.
• NewsCut: Saved by the carbon monoxide detector
Ducks head coach Bill Zaniboni said Monday the player treated in a hyperbaric chamber at a Milwaukee hospital has returned home. Players reported headaches, dizziness and nausea and one player passed out.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Ice Hawks President Michael Fatis says the incident makes a good case for a Wisconsin regulation similar to a Minnesota law which requires carbon monoxide detectors at ice rinks.
In North Dakota, officials are investigating the source of a carbon monoxide leak that sickened youth hockey players in Fargo.
KFGO radio reports that it wasn't immediately known how many players became ill at the Teamsters Arena on Sunday, but some of them were treated for headaches and nausea at a local hospital.
• Related: After deaths, officials warn of carbon monoxide dangers
Fire Department Battalion Chief Dane Carley says firefighters measured carbon monoxide levels in the arena up to 110 parts per million, and levels at 9 parts per million are considered dangerous.
Arena Manager Jeff Lockhart says the carbon monoxide might have come from a faulty heating system or a malfunctioning Zamboni ice machine.
Officials with Xcel Energy checked the arena on Monday and found no trace of gas.