Family's 'lucky' escape from deadly gas in home (From Mid Devon Star)

Family's 'lucky' escape from deadly gas in home

3:00pm Thursday 28th February 2013 in News By Mid Devon Star Reporter

A MOTHER has told of her family’s ‘lucky’ escape after their home filled with deadly carbon monoxide gas.

Julie Beale was out celebrating her birthday while husband Graham and the two children were at home in Longforth Road, Wellington, when the poisonous gas spread on Saturday night.

Oliver, 11, and sister Megan, 13, both required oxygen treatment and were taken to Musgrove Park Hospital at around 10pm.

Mrs Beale, who was having a meal for her 40th birthday, said: “We’re very lucky. It was worse upstairs and they could have gone to bed none the wiser.”

The drama unfolded at 7.30pm when Mr Beale, a 43-year-old postman, phoned his wife to say Oliver had fallen ill.

Just a few hours later the carbon monoxide detector – only fitted ten months ago – sounded.

“Firefighters came and said there were high levels of carbon monoxide, so we sat in a neighbour’s until the paramedics arrived,” added Mrs Beale, a teaching assistant at Beech Grove Primary School.

“They tested Oliver and Megan and said they both needed to go to hospital and they stayed overnight. I’d urge people to get their appliances and fires checked as it could happen to anyone.”

See www.gassaferegister.co.uk for safety tips.