Waldbrunn (dpa/lhe) – Probably because of a defective hotplate in the apartment, a family man suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning in Waldbrunn in central Hesse on New Year’s Eve. Firefighters found the 51-year-old unconscious, the police said on Monday. The man was taken to a hospital, where his 42-year-old wife and two children were treated as a precaution, a police spokesman said. The reason for the carbon monoxide poisoning was probably a gas leak from a mobile hotplate, the police said. A criminal offense was ruled out.