Liverpool family suffer carbon monoxide poisoning after using coal-fire barbecue to heat home

Police have urged people to use proper heating appliances after a barbecue used indoors to heat a home almost cost a Liverpool family their lives.

A Liverpool family is lucky to be alive after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning while using a barbecue coal fire to stay warm inside their home last night.

Liverpool Detective Inspector Dean Johnstone said about 10.30pm a girl, 8, woke and began vomiting.

She tried to wake her dad, 35, and mum, 27, and when they didn’t respond she called a family friend for help.

The barbecue coal fire used to heat the home.

A woman, 46, arrived at the Collimore Ave unit and managed to wake the parents and remove the barbecue from the house.

LIVERPOOL FAMILY-OF-FIVE TREATED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

FIVE PEOPLE, INCLUDING TWO COPS SUFFER CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Busby and Cabramatta arrived and ventilated the room.

Paramedics place a woman with CO2 poisoning into an abumlance. Picture: Gary Dring

All four occupants were taken to Liverpool Hospital for treatment and have since been released.

All four were taken to Liverpool Hospital by Ambulance for treatment and have since been released.

“It appears the coals had been burning in the barbecue inside the house for about three hours and, in that time, carbon monoxide has built up,” Det Insp Johnstone said.

“If not for the eight-year-old waking and feeling sick, things could have been much worse. It had the potential to be a real tragedy.”

A 35-year-old man was also rushed to hospital for treatment. Picture: Gary Dring

Det Insp Johnstone urged residents to heed the warnings on appliances and only use “proper indoor heating appliances” inside their homes.

This is the second time this year police and emergency services have responded to such a call.

On May 3, a Liverpool family-of-five were treated at Liverpool Hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning after they used an open coal fire for heating in their loungeroom.

The Collimore Ave unit block. Police have urged residents to heed the warnings on appliances and only use proper indoor heating appliances inside their homes.