Sterling Heights, MI – Four members of a Sterling Heights family were hospitalized Wednesday after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning in their home.
City firefighters were dispatched at approximately 8 a.m. to the home in the 8000 block of Tinkler Road because occupants were feeling ill.
Upon arrival, the firefighters began evaluating and treating three individuals — a 43-year-old man and twin 10-year-old girls — who were already outside the house but showing signs of severe carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.
A fourth member of the family, a 13-year-old boy, was already at Heritage Junior High School, so fire officials removed him from school in order to take him to a hospital.
Additional crews began to inspect the home, near 17 Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue, and air monitors showed very high readings of carbon monoxide as soon as they entered the dwelling, officials said.
Firefighters donned breathing apparatus and completed a search of the home while the home was ventilated with fresh air. Consumers Power was called to the scene and determined the furnace had a faulty heat exchanger, which caused the buildup of carbon monoxide in the home.
The home lacked carbon monoxide detectors, officials said.
All four members of the family were taken to William Beaumont Hospital in Troy. Doctors expect them to make a complete recovery, officials said.