Dangerous concentration of gas: the grill was in the apartment – ​​the family dials the emergency call

Created: 09/28/2022, 16:11

The fire brigade and rescue workers were deployed in an apartment in Bonn.

(Iconic image) © Jonas Walzberg/dpa

A dangerously high concentration of carbon monoxide in a family's apartment in Bonn prompted a rescue operation.

The trigger was a grill.

Bonn – A family from Bonn complained of being unwell and acute circulatory problems, on Wednesday morning (September 28, around 5 a.m.) they decided to call the emergency number.

And that was exactly the right decision, as it turned out.

Rescue workers arrived.

When the crew of an ambulance arrived, they found "a high concentration of the harmful gas carbon monoxide (CO)", the fire brigade announced.

The rescuers had CO warning devices with them as a matter of routine - and they struck immediately, reports 24RHEIN.

Bonn: apartment cleared - family brought to a special clinic

The rescue workers reacted immediately and cleared the apartment in the Bonn district of Hardtberg.

While they take care of the family, other rescue workers and the fire brigade were alerted.

The four members of the family suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning and had to be taken to a special clinic in Düsseldorf for further treatment.

Recently, several people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning because a man tried to heat his home with a charcoal grill.

Barbecue placed in the apartment - with dangerous consequences

Respiratory protection teams explored the apartment with special measuring devices.

The fire brigade confirmed the high CO values.

The rescuers were also able to quickly identify the cause of the dangerous concentration of gas: a grill with charcoal still glowing in the apartment.

The family had put the grill in the apartment from the balcony in the evening, the fire brigade said.

A fatal decision, as it turned out.

"A charcoal grill or a radiant heater or patio heater must never be used in apartments or other closed rooms," warns the fire brigade.

When carbon monoxide becomes dangerous

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, humans cannot perceive it.

It is formed during the incomplete combustion of fuels containing carbon.

Especially indoors or when there is a lack of oxygen, “life-threatening concentrations are quickly reached,” explains the fire brigade.

It recommends “the installation of tested and approved carbon monoxide detectors.

These trigger an alarm if the CO concentration is critical.

Only after extensive ventilation measures and follow-up measurements did the corresponding values ​​drop below the required warning thresholds.

The on-site operation ended at around 6:30 a.m.