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The incident took place around 7 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the four-story apartment building located at 545 Fulton Ave., when 28 people began feeling ill, said a Village of Hempstead fire official during a press conference.
Nine of the people, including a mother and her toddler who were found passed out in a room, were rushed to an area hospital with high levels of carbon monoxide in their blood, officials said.
Hempstead firefighters who inspected the building located the illegally installed heaters in all 16 units of the complex, with many in closets or cabinets, village officials said.
Officials also said residents were charged extra for heating, so many of them tried not to use it. They also said that many of the low-income residents were afraid to complain or turn in the owner.
Hempstead Trustee Waylyn Hobbs said they had been installed without a permit using improper plumbing and natural gas hookups.
The building's owner, Pebble LLC, and the landlord faces multiple violations, officials said.
Remaining residents, who are expected to be left homeless for at least 15 days while the gas is shut off, were bused to a community center at Kennedy Memorial Park.
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