Five people airlifted to hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning north of Kamloops

BARRIERE (NEWS 1130) – Five people were airlifted to hospital following another carbon monoxide poisoning incident. This comes just a day after more than a dozen people in Vancouver were treated for the same thing.

BC Emergency Health Services says crews were called out to a home in Barriere, north of Kamloops, around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.

When crews arrived they confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning and transported five people to Vancouver via air ambulance.

BC EHS says the patients are in serious but stable condition.

WATCH: Kitsilano carbon monoxide leak hospitalizes 13

 

This comes a day after 13 people had to be transported to hospital from a commercial building in Vancouver, also due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The building apparently did have monoxide alarms but they failed to go off.

One of the responding doctors said there’s been an alarming jump in carbon monoxide poisonings in the city, with 17 cases reported this week alone.

Check your appliances regularly

Meanwhile, FortisBC is reminding people about the importance of checking home appliances regularly.

“In order to prevent carbon monoxide exposure, proper maintenance of all of your natural gas appliances helps ensure this,” Diana Sorace with FortisBC said. “So having a natural gas contractor to maintain your appliances on a yearly basis is definitely recommended.”

She said winter is definitely a higher risk season for carbon monoxide exposure as people turn on their furnaces and fireplaces.

“Excess carbon monoxide is actually produced by fuel-burning appliances,” Sorace added.

-With files from Martin MacMahon

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