An incident in which more than 100 people were apparently sickened by carbon monoxide in a Roanoke College dormitory could lead to a push for state legislation requiring carbon monoxide detectors in residential buildings.

Sixty-two people were taken to Lewis-Gale Medical Center and another 49 went to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital on Friday morning after complaining of headaches, nausea, shakiness and dizziness -- symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning.

One man, 91-year-old retired pastor Walter Vierling of Pearisburg, died, and five others spent the night in Lewis-Gale. On Saturday, four of them had been released, and the remaining victim was in stable condition, according to Lewis-Gale spokeswoman Carol Chappell.

Friday's victims consisted of adults attending a three-day Lutheran Power in the Spirit conference and teens participating in the six-week college prep program Upward Bound. They were staying in a group of row houses called the Sections, which consists of Yonce, Wells and Fox halls.

Roanoke College officials said the leak of the odorless, colorless gas may have been caused by failure of the gas hot water system, but an investigation is ongoing.

Last year, the Virginia State Firefighter's Association discussed the possibility of asking state legislators to require carbon monoxide detectors in certain buildings, said Charles Singleton, chairman of the association's legislative committee. Friday's incident will probably push the issue toward the top of its legislative agenda, he said.

"I feel that with this type of situation, and this isn't the only one, we will push for carbon monoxide detectors," Singleton said. "Right now it's already in the code that motels, hotels and dormitories have to have smoke detectors."

House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, said he'd consider the idea but needs to do more research on the subject.

"Particularly in a housing unit like that, it's advisable to have the carbon monoxide detector," Griffith said. "It's one of those safety issue things."

But "sometimes when you come out with new laws immediately, you make more mistakes than if you take the time," he said.

Several others states, including Vermont, Massachusetts and Minnesota, have passed laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors for most housing. The issue has also been discussed in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The Minnesota law, which goes into effect next year, requires that new homes and apartments have detectors within 10 feet of each bedroom. Existing homes must comply with the law by August 2008 and owners of existing apartment complexes must comply by August 2009.

The law does not punish noncompliance with fines, but it does leave violators vulnerable to lawsuits.

Virginia Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, introduced a bill earlier this year that would have required carbon monoxide detectors in certain rental units. That bill was carried over to next year and is being studied by the Virginia Housing Commission, Ruff said.

"The housing commission will study the issue this year and try to develop regulations," Ruff said. "They thought that since that's the way most of the building code things are done, that would be a cleaner way of doing it. I don't disagree with them."

Ruff said a broader approach to requiring carbon monoxide detectors could be handled the same way.

Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, and Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, each said they wanted to hear more about the issue, as well as the outcome to Roanoke College's investigation of the incident, before discussing possible legislation.

"It's obviously a tragic situation and you'd want to find out what you can do to prevent it in the future," Bell said. "But I don't know enough about the background, the science of it, what the ramifications are."

Likewise, spokespeople for the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters said the group would await further details before adding the issue to its legislative agenda.

However, Robert Bragg, chairman of the group's legislative committee, said Friday's incident may lead to changes in the law. He cited a fire at Las Vegas' MGM Grand in 1980 that killed more than 80 people. The fire eventually resulted in a Nevada law requiring sprinkler systems for certain buildings.

Friday's incident at Roanoke College could have a similar effect, Bragg said.

"Unfortunately it takes tragedy of some magnitude to raise the awareness level and get everybody on board with safety."

Staff writer Erinn Hutkin contributed to this report.