Mother thankful her daughter is alive after CO poisoning in south Fargo apartment

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A mother is speaking out after her 23-year-old daughter was one of the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning in a south Fargo apartment complex. Authorities tied high levels of CO to the building’s boiler room.

On December 22 Sharon Cottrell got a phone call from her daughter, Danica Gilb, with a terrifying story. Two days earlier, on Monday, Gilb heard beeping noises coming from the first and second floors of her building. She tried to contact the property management but never got a response.

“Kind of shrugged it off and didn’t think too much of it,” explained her mother.

Tuesday night things changed when Gilb and her two friends who live next door started feeling sick.

“Headache, nausea...” said Cottrell, “It was so bad that all she could do was go lay down and go to sleep.”

Wednesday morning firemen banged on Gilb’s door and told her the CO levels were too high and she needed to evacuate. Gilb went to the hospital and carbon monoxide was detected in her blood. She spent five hours receiving oxygen treatments. Her friend was not so lucky and is still in the hospital receiving treatment.

“For her knowing her best friend was possibly not there...” Cottrell said through tears, “For me being here in Minnesota knowing my daughter was in Fargo dealing with this... having the symptoms.”

Those symptoms of CO poisoning are vague and can be brushed off as anything. Cottrell said people should check and make sure their Carbon Monoxide detectors working properly.

“It’s a silent killer,” she said, “It’s a slow killer. Carbon monoxide builds up in your bloodstream.”

While her daughter is still shaken up from the terrifying events, “I’m thankful that she is okay... Christmas is a little sweeter since she is home,” said the mother.

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