Suspected carbon monoxide poisoning from inside barbecue

FIVE people are “extremely lucky” to have escaped with their lives after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning when cooking on a barbecue inside a house in Campbellfield.

The barbecue was used inside for about four hours. Picture: Stock image

FIVE people hit a snag after cooking on a barbecue indoors, suffering suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.

The three women and two men, aged from their teens into their 50s, developed headaches and nausea after using the barbecue inside for about four hours.

Paramedics were called to the home in Campbellfield, about 25km north of Melbourne CBD, at 10.45pm last night.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Bob Lanigan said: “It’s an extremely dangerous gas.

“In this case they were extremely lucky.”

Cdr Lanigan told 3AW that any type of barbecue indoors was a dangerous activity - especially barbecues that use heat beads or charcoal because they were the worst producers of carbon monoxide.

The group was treated for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning and taken to the Royal Melbourne and The Northern hospitals.

All were in a stable condition last night.