By Debbie McGoldrick

PANDEMONIUM ensued at the tail end of the Sligo Association of New York dinner dance last Saturday evening at Leonard’s catering hall in Great Neck, Long Island when a poisonous carbon monoxide leak filtered deadly fumes into the banquet room, causing several of the 370 guests to collapse and prompting an immediate evacuation of the premises by the local fire and police departments.

Guests at the 116th annual dance reported feeling unwell from the middle of the evening, but the first indication that something was seriously amiss in the hall came when Bridie O’Reilly, the first female president of the association, fainted and was out cold for several minutes. Shortly afterwards several other guests began feeling unwell and also passed out, and then a fleet of ambulances and fire trucks arrived to evacuate the premises and rush the victims to North Shore University Hospital in nearby Manhasset.

Chief Bryan O’Malley of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Depart-ment was first on the scene, and told the Irish Voice that he immediately suspected that the cause of the chaos was a leak of carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless gas that can cause death if not detected.

“We got a call that lots of people were complaining of headaches and dizziness,” he said. “When I got there I saw six people who were quite ill. I got out my carbon dioxide meter and tested the room.”

The reading was a 29, O’Malley said, adding that a normal count should be 10. “We started to evacuate the entire building immediately,” O’Malley said, “and called for the Nassau County Hazmat team to come in.”

There were other events also going on in the upstairs rooms at Leonard’s, one of Long Island’s best-known catering establishments. All guests in the facility, close to 800 in total, were evacuated. The downstairs room that hosted the Sligo function was the only one affected by the toxic leakage.

North Shore treated more than two dozen victims immediately after the evacuation, and an untold number more on Sunday. Six were transferred to a hyperbaric chamber at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx for more intense treatment, and were released on Sunday.

Two other guests at the dinner went to North Shore on Sunday afternoon after feeling unwell, and were also transferred to Jacobi. They were released early Monday morning.

The fumes escaped because of a small carpet accidental laid over a boiler vent. The facility was checked by Nassau fire marshals, and reopened for business as usual on Sunday.

Leonard’s issued a statement about the incident on Sunday morning in which they apologized for the potentially deadly occurrence, and confirmed their compliance with all standard fire codes.

“After thorough inspection by appropriate authorities and clearance by the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s office, the facility has been assessed as safe and fully compliant with all codes both currently and prior to this incident,” the statement read.

“It has been determined that an accidental blockage of an air intake vent was the cause of this unfortunate circumstance. The situation was addressed immediately and the obstruction quickly removed. We offer our most sincere apologies.”

The Sligo Association has hosted its annual St. Patrick’s function at Leonard’s since the 1970s. It hosts those living in the U.S. with links to the county in the west of Ireland, and dignitaries from home as well.

There were several guests in attendance from Ireland on Saturday night, including members of Parliament John Perry from Sligo, and Fergus O’Dowd from Louth. A number of local Sligo officials also traveled for the event.

Tom Tuffy, vice president of the association, has been consulting with the establishment since the incident. In a letter to the association, Leonard’s offered its “sincere apology” for the incident, and offered a complete refund for the dinner dance.

The letter also encouraged “those who have sought medical attention to contact our office for the proper filing of related paperwork.” The Sligo Association plans on taking the reimbursement it receives from Leonard’s and passing it on to guests at the dinner.

O’Reilly, who has been out of work since the incident, is still feeling the after effects. Speaking to the Irish Voice on Tuesday morning, she had just returned from a visit to her physician.

“I had a fainting spell this morning, and my body is still in shock,” she said. “I just remember nothing at all about what happened. I went down like a flash.

“Everyone was having a good time, and then this happens. It is such a shame. The shock of it is still with me, and will be for a long time.”

Treatment of mild carbon monoxide exposure comes from breathing in fresh air and drinking water. Those with higher levels receive oxygen, and in worst cases, such as O’Reilly’s, treatment in a special hyperbaric chamber is necessary. O’Reilly’s reading came in at 26.

“I could have died. We all could have died,” she said. “It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Though no lawsuits have been filed against Leonard’s, it is believed that several of the victims from Saturday night are considering taking legal action against the facility.