One step away from the tragedy of Hrzanowice near Radomsko (Łódź Voivodeship). Carbon dioxide was coming from a one-bedroom apartment, and it was only thanks to an installed carbon monoxide detector that a family of four was evacuated from the building. – The presumed cause was a leak in the solid fuel boiler, although the owner had failed to properly inspect the chimney. To make sure that everything is fine, you should have a carbon monoxide detector – explains the spokesman of the Radomsko fire brigade.
The incident happened on Sunday evening in the city of Hrzanowice, which is located in the Gomunice district near Radomsko. Firefighters were called to a single family home due to a carbon dioxide leak.
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“Detector worked properly”
After arriving at the scene, firefighters found a family of four who had left the house. – Residents of the building – a 39-year-old woman, a 40-year-old man and two children aged 4 and 6 were immediately evacuated from outside. After arriving at the scene, firefighters confirmed the presence of carbon monoxide in the rooms using their sensors. Evacuees were tested and found to have low concentrations of carbon monoxide that did not require hospitalization. (…) The detector worked properly and prevented serious consequences for the residents, – said Marek Yeziorsky, press officer of the district headquarters of the Radomsko State Fire Service.
The incident happened near the State Fire Service in Radomsko
He added that the possible cause of this incident is a leak in the solid fuel boiler, although the owner of the chimney had a proper inspection. – That's why you should have a carbon monoxide detector to make sure everything is fine. Indeed, in this case, the detector saved the lives and health of the residents, and increasing awareness and installing detectors in homes, as was the case here, is a step in the right direction. Firefighters extinguished the blaze after arriving at the scene, and the carbon monoxide readings were down to zero upon inspection, the firefighter said.
The incident happened near the State Fire Service in Radomsko
New obligation for apartment owners
In November, the Minister of the Interior, Tomasz Simoniak, signed a regulation that introduces the obligation to use fire extinguishers in residential buildings.
– In this way, we want to send a strong signal from the state that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors should be something that should be in their home, like a refrigerator, TV, washing machine, – he emphasized. He added that in this case it will be important to educate and convince everyone who will do this for themselves, their relatives and neighbors.
Commander-in-chief of the state fire service, brigade. Dr. Eng. Mariusz Feltinovsky noted that every year about 450 people die due to fires in constructions, 300 of them are victims of fires in residential buildings. As he added, 50 percent of people who die during the heating season are people over 50 years old, and 20 percent of them are children. Feltinowski estimated that thanks to the regulations, the Fire Department could save more lives over five years. “These devices are characterized by high efficiency in warning about threats and allow the evacuation (often of the entire residential building) even before the arrival of the rescue services,” the justification of the system is written.
Source of the main photo: KP PSP in Radomsko
