Toxic fumes end wedding reception

NEW YORK, April 7 (UPI) -- A New York wedding celebration quickly ended when the newlyweds and their guests breathed in excess amounts of carbon monoxide, the groom said.

George Quenneville, 28, was preparing to cut into his wedding cake Sunday when carbon monoxide overcame the second floor of Dante Caterers hall in Queens, NY, the New York Post reported.

"Everyone was fine. And then, all of a sudden, my brother-in-law, Eddie, comes running out saying, 'Call 911! Your mom is down!' I knocked down tables to get to her," Quenneville told the newspaper.

Quenneville, who is an Emergency Medical Technician, took his mother out of the catering hall and gave her emergency treatment.

Officials said the carbon monoxide level in the building was 500 parts per million. Evacuation is required for anything higher than 100 parts per million, a fire official said.

Two of the 80 people at the reception were hospitalized in serious condition and 41 others received treatment for minor injuries, the New York Daily News reported.