Although a carbon monoxide alarm beeped since Sunday, a 77-year-old man was killed and eight other people injured Monday night after the dangerous gas flooded 816 Geary Street. The victim, only known as "Eddie," the former building manager, was found dead 30 minutes after firefighters "transported someone in the same building with shortness of breath to the hospital, but did not realize the person was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning." Fire officials were seeing readings of over 900 parts per million in the five-story building. "The readings were off the scale," said SFFD spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge. Carbon monoxide, we should warn you, is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, and deadly. If you detect the toxic gas wafting about, get the into fresh air immediately; if you can't get out of the house, then open all windows and doors, and turn off any combustion appliances; take any sad soul subjected to carbon monoxide to a hospital emergency room as quickly as possible for a quick blood test.