Police are investigating whether a carbon monoxide leak led to the deaths of two people in West Rogers Park.
The first sign of trouble came around 3 a.m. Sunday when Shabbir Ahmed's sister-in-law woke up feeling ill.
"It started from there," Ahmed said. "She was feeling dizzy."
Four hours later his 77-year-old mother, Rasheeda Akhter, was so ill she could not get out of bed. "They took her to Swedish Covenant Hospital but before she got there, she died," Ahmed said.
A short time later, relatives tried to wake his 18-year-old niece Zanib Ahmed.
"She couldn't wake up," Ahmed said of his niece. She was rushed by ambulance to the same hospital where "they tried their best to save her life but she did not come back."
In the afternoon, paramedics returned again when Akhter's 74-year-old sister-in-law was also overcome and was taken to the hospital in critical condition but she survived, said her son Choudhary Noeman.
"She's doing excellent, she's recovered about 75 percent," said Noeman.
The family is planning a funeral for Akhter and Ahmed for Tuesday.
Ahmed's brother then gathered five children ranging in age from 5 to 12 and took them to a hospital for observation. "We figured out something was wrong," said Ahmed, 49. "They were OK, they were eating and playing around."
Akhter died from carbon monoxide intoxication from faulty heating equipment in an accident, the medical examiner’s office determined this afternoon.
Heart disease and diabetes were listed as secondary causes of death. Ahmed died from probable carbon monoxide intoxication from faulty heating equipment in an accident, the medical examiner’s office determined.
Fire officials and workers from Peoples Gas have determined there was a leak in the exhaust system of the boiler in the basement of the four-flat in the 2500 block of West North Shore Avenue. Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said officials believe people in the building had been exposed to low levels of carbon monoxide over a long period of time.
When fire officials first responded to the address, they checked the carbon monoxide levels and found no indication of a leak in the building, according to Fire Department spokeswoman Meg Ahlheim said.
When paramedics were called back to the scene, they checked again and still found no evidence of a leak, Ahlheim said. A carbon monoxide detector in a room near the boiler had not gone off, according to Langford, but high levels were found in the boiler room. Officials said the carbon monoxide detector was placed near a windwo which was often left open.
Langford said the building had no other working carbon monoxide detectors, though there were smoke detectors. City code requires carbon monoxide detectors on every floor where there are bedrooms, Langford said.
Ahmed said no work was done recently on the boiler. Officials said the boiler was older. "It was the same boiler we had, it was working perfectly, then all of a sudden like a car, cars break down," he said.
The four-flat building is owned by his family and was purchased by his father more than 20 years ago. He said relatives live in each of the units. Fire officials said the two deceased woman slept in bedrooms which were directly over the boiler on the first and second floors. "We owned the whole building, nobody else was living there."
Ahmed said his parents came to the United States from Pakistan. His father died about two years ago from a heart condition. He said his mother had three sons and a daughter and 11 grandchildren.
He called his mother a "beautiful person." He said the grandchildren would call her "Dadyji," which is Urdu for grandmother. He said most of the grandchildren lived in the building and she was a constant presence in their lives.
"All of the kids loved her and played with her all of the time, they are going to miss her very badly," Ahmed said.
He said his niece was a senior at St. Scholastica Academy High School and was scheduled to graduate this year. She was considering going to Northwestern University, where she wanted to go into premed.
"She had planned to go to medical school, she always talked about being a surgeon," Ahmed said.
She was the oldest of three children, and leaves behind a sister and brother, Ahmed said. "They were very close."
Another relative said the family "is going through a tough time, they were very good people."
St. Scholastica's Head of School Lynne Farmer said Ahmed was a good student who was planning on attending college next year.
"Her goal was to have this quarter be the best quarter she has ever had."
Ahmed was a well-liked student among the tight-knit group. She was participating in a mentoring program for middle school students at a neighboring charter school, Farmer said.
Ahmed is the second student to die recently. Last spring another student drowned in lake michigan.
"It's hard," said Farmer. "There's been a lot of trauma in a short period of time."
Most students learned about her death in school today, Farmer said. Students left early and grief counselors were on hand to help them, she added.
"She will definitely be missed because she was part of this little family that has learned to...support each other," she said.
asege@tribune.com
chicagobreaking@tribune.com
Twitter: @AdamSege
CO leak caused 2 deaths: 'They were very good people'
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