Employees at a downtown business escaped serious injury yesterday morning after carbon monoxide from an adjacent construction site leaked into their building.

The gas was reported at about 10:45 a.m. to Alpha Fire Co. by employees of Abercrombie & Fitch, 138 S. Allen St., after they noticed an unusual odor and became lightheaded, sales associate Joey Sayers (junior-international politics) said.

Emergency personnel were dispatched and three Abercrombie & Fitch employees were evacuated and treated at the scene for carbon monoxide inhalation. One person was taken by ambulance to Centre Community Hospital for further observation, fire inspector Shawn Kauffman said, but all are reported to be recovering.

Sayers said he was in the building with his manager and another employee when the manager said she smelled an unusual odor.

"We all started to feel lightheaded," he said. "EMS [Emergency Medical Services] came and checked me and the two girls [fellow employees]. One girl needed oxygen."

Gas was also detected at low levels at two other stores, Kauffman said.

The carbon monoxide apparently came from a gas-powered welder at a construction site at 142-148 S. Allen St. The site is owned by George Woskob.

Kauffman and Jim Brown, assistant fire chief, said the incident was a naturally occurring event caused by overcast skies and lack of air movement and no citations will be issued.

Representatives for Woskob had no comment.