SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Carbon-monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty water heater sent three people on Wednesday, Dec. 19 to the hospital, authorities said.

Around 5:50 a.m., paramedics responded to a modular home in the 31000 block of Avenida de la Vista after a 64-year-old woman reported feeling nauseous and lethargic, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz said.

Paramedics also treated a man and another woman, both 26, who reported suffering the same symptoms, Kurtz said.

A cat inside the residence also appeared sick.

All three people in the home were taken by ambulance to area hospitals and appeared to be recovering, Kurtz said.

A hazardous-materials team determined that a natural-gas water heater in the home, connected to a propane tank, likely caused elevated carbon-monoxide levels, he added.

The incident serves as a reminder that homes should be equipped with carbon-monoxide detectors, Kurtz said.

“Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless, colorless gas,” he said. “It has the potential to be lethal in high enough concentrations.”