El Paso Family Has Carbon Monoxide Scare From An Apartment Heater – Here’s How You Can Stay Safe This Winter

An El Paso family found out the hard way that colder weather and a faulty heater is a recipe for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Elijah Allen said his fire alarm went off in his apartment, but as he checked for fire, it began to indicate the presence of carbon monoxide. His wife and daughters were asleep, so he woke them up and called 9-1-1.
Allen’s wife had to get oxygen treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning from emergency crews, but Allen and his daughters were not affected.

Carbon monoxide has no odor, no color, and no taste, so most people only find out they’ve been affected when they get carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms. Those symptoms are nausea, dizziness, tiredness, headaches, stomach aches, and even chest pain.

If you haven’t gotten your heater turned on, or even if you have, make sure a professional checks it out to make sure there is no carbon monoxide leaking from it. You should also have carbon monoxide detectors, in addition to smoke detectors, in rooms that have a furnace or fireplace.

If you rent, you should know that Texas law says landlords need to provide working smoke alarms, but not carbon monoxide detectors. They cost as little as $19.99 at places like Home Depot and Walmart, and could save your family’s life.