To save electricity costs, a man heats his apartment in Upper Bavaria with a charcoal grill. His wife soon complains of a headache and his nephew falls unconscious. Both are hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning. The police warn of “life-threatening dangers”.
In the Bavarian town of Mühldorf am Inn, two people suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning because the owner of the apartment used a charcoal grill for heating due to the high energy prices. They had to be taken to the hospital on Sunday night, according to the police in Upper Bavaria. Neither of them are life-threatening. The police are now investigating the apartment owner for negligent bodily harm and urgently warned “of the life-threatening dangers of such action”.
The 50-year-old homeowner dialed the emergency number at 1 a.m. He stated that he had already taken his wife to a hospital, who had complained of a headache and dizziness, police said. His nephew is now unconscious in the apartment. The 34-year-old was also immediately taken to a hospital after the arrival of the rescue workers.
The fire brigade found a high concentration of CO in the house and found the charcoal grill in the living room, the police reported. The homeowner said he used it for heating “because the electricity bill is so expensive”.
In view of the incident, the police urgently warned against operating charcoal or gas grills in closed rooms. The combustion gases such as the invisible and odorless carbon monoxide spread unnoticed within a short time. They displace the air we breathe and could endanger people’s lives.