Rochester, MN- People living in the 1100 block of First Street Southwest in Rochester are described as “very fortunate” that a carbon monoxide detector was in use.
A man started his furnace just before 9 p.m. Friday night and “within a half hour, his carbon monoxide detector went off,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Larry Mueller.
The fire department recorded a level of 225 parts per million carbon monoxide. “Which is very significant in that amount of time,” Mueller said.
Minnesota Energy verified the problem was the furnace.
“Had he not had a carbon monoxide alarm, it would have rapidly turned into a deadly environment,” Mueller said. “This easily could have been a tragedy in the city.”
Three people were in the house at the time.