Shively, KY – A Shively father came home after work Thursday morning to find his two children unconscious, poisoned by carbon monoxide.
The children survived, but the case illustrates the importance of carbon monoxide detectors, said Col. Gregory Cambron, chief of the Shively Fire Department.
They’re very lucky that he came home when he did, Cambron said.
The Shively Fire Department responded to the call around 7 a.m. at the 1900 block of Heaton Road, Cambron said. By the time firefighters arrived, the children were conscious but lethargic. They were treated at Kosair Children’s Hospital.
Firefighters believe the carbon monoxide came from a gas furnace, he said. Gas-fueled devices such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and dryers are the most common sources of carbon monoxide, which results when natural gas or some other fuel isn’t completely burned in the combustion process, he said.
The gas is tasteless, odorless and colorless, so victims often don’t know levels are high until it’s too late, Cambron said.