Saturday, November 2, 2024

Sydney family lucky to be alive after inhaling carbon monoxide from outdoor BBQ used to heat home

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A family of five in Sydney’s west are lucky to be alive after inhaling poisonous carbon monoxide from an outdoor barbecue that was being used as an indoor heater.

Three people were left unconscious in the incident that occurred just after 4am on Saturday at a Wentworth Avenue unit in Wentworthville.

Emergency services were on the scene within minutes, where the family was taken outdoors and given medical treatment.  

An outdoor barbecue was used as an indoor heater at a home in Wentworthville.(Supplied: FRNSW)

Firefighters also “ventilated the apartment” and the gas levels were checked throughout the complex.

“They [the family] brought a charcoal BBQ in from their balcony in a bid to stay warm,” Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) said in statement.

“The firefighters in attendance say the CO levels inside the unit were more than four times the dangerous limit.”

The three people and a child were taken to Westmead Hospital. They are in a stable condition.

a firefighter inside a home in sydney's west after a family inhaled carbom monoxide from a bbq used as a heater

Emergency services treated the family at the scene and ventilated the home.(ABC News)

The emergency has prompted a renewed warning from FRNSW that charcoal bead cookers, BBQs and outdoor heaters should not be used indoors, regardless of the chilly conditions.

FRNSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said these devices posed an “extreme risk”.

“There’s nowhere for the poisonous fumes to go if they build up indoors,” he said.

“We’ll continue to work with all of our communities to spread the awareness about these dangers.”

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