A carbon monoxide scare on a boat docked at Provincetown’s MacMillan Pier sent eight people to Cape Cod Hospital on Thursday evening, after two people aboard were found unresponsive and several first responders needed medical evaluation of their own.
Provincetown police and fire crews were called around 5:59 p.m. for a report of an unresponsive person on a boat, according to Boston 25 News. When officers boarded the vessel at MacMillan Pier, they discovered a second unresponsive person, the outlet reported.
Mass Casualty Response
With more patients than Provincetown’s ambulances could handle, officials declared a Mass Casualty Incident and called in mutual-aid ambulances from Truro, Wellfleet and Eastham, WCVB reported. The extra help let crews ferry everyone to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation. Authorities said several first responders who had entered the vessel were among those checked out at the hospital.
Who Was Hurt
Altogether, eight people were taken to Cape Cod Hospital for evaluation, according to NBC10 Boston. The Boston Globe reported that two people aboard the boat were hospitalized, and that the harbormaster, two police officers and a firefighter were also taken in for monitoring. The Globe noted that the two initial victims were in stable condition as of Thursday night, and that officials had not immediately identified a cause.
Why Carbon Monoxide on Boats Is So Risky
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by engines and generators that can quickly build up in enclosed cabins and around swim platforms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains. Symptoms like headache, dizziness and nausea can masquerade as seasickness, which can delay treatment. Standard emergency guidance is to move anyone suspected of exposure into fresh air right away and provide oxygen when appropriate.
Local Guidance and What Comes Next
Town officials have not yet released a definitive cause of the leak. Investigators were expected to examine the vessel and interview witnesses, according to the Boston Globe. MacMillan Pier is Provincetown’s main wharf, as noted on the town’s Harbor & Pier page, and local advice for suspected carbon monoxide exposure is straightforward: get into fresh air immediately and call 911.
The incident unfolded while emergency crews were already stretched by recent weather-related outages across Cape Cod, a strain that helped drive the mutual-aid requests for this call. Authorities said they plan to release more information as the investigation moves forward, and this story will be updated as town and hospital officials provide new details.
