Columbus, OH – A Columbus family is thankful to be alive, but now looking for a temporary place to stay, after being exposed to carbon monoxide for months.
Tamika Cotton says her family is scared to go to sleep at night because of how they’ve been feeling for the last two months. The family says they’ve been dealing with headaches, nausea and burning eyes.
After calling 911 Wednesday morning, firefighters say they found high levels of carbon monoxide in their east Columbus home.
“To even have the thought of me trying to wake my son up for school and he’s not waking up. It was too much for me”, said Tamika Cotton who called 911. “Soon as I opened my room door, gas just hit me in my face.”
Firefighters found a gas leak coming from an old furnace inside the home on South Hamilton Road. Medics checked the family for carbon monoxide poisoning, even going to the children’s school to make sure they were okay.
Cotton says she’s had problems with the furnace for at least two months. The landlord says the furnace was fixed twice, most recently one month ago.
Columbia gas officials say they were at the home November 17th. They say they checked for problems and found nothing. They say they will look into their records to investigate what happened.
Cotton says she is just thankful everyone is okay. “I am so thankful for my babies to be alive. I’m thankful to be alive.”
Cotton’s landlord says the furnace will be replaced.