Workers sickened by carbon monoxide poisoning at JoJo restaurant on Upper East Side
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Five workers at an Upper East Side restaurant were sickened by a carbon monoxide leak that forced the evacuation of the building.
An oil burner malfunctioned in the basement of Jojo restaurant on E 64th Street just before 11 p.m. Tuesday, about 30 minutes after closing time.
The workers began feeling sick and were taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell with minor injuries.
Firefighters discovered the oil burner was not working properly. It was giving off high levels of carbon monoxide throughout the basement, about 400 parts per million.
Firefighters shut off the boiler, and the levels dropped. The high levels of carbon monoxide did not leave the basement.
The entire building, including residents who live above the French eatery, was evacuated for about two hours. Residents returned to their homes at around 1 a.m.
Jojo is run by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, his first solo restaurant. It is named after the chef's childhood nickname.
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