The West Auckland family who survived carbon monoxide poisoning after hooking up a petrol generator in their garage are back home and recovering slowly.
Their terrifying ordeal comes a month after two men died in a gold mine from inhaling carbon monoxide. A petrol generator was kept running in a secret P lab in the mine on the Coromandel. At the time, police said the deaths showed the risks of operating petrol-powered engines, such as generators, in confined spaces.
In the latest case, the West Auckland family used the generator to supply power to their new home.
The mother told 3 News they didn't know to put it outside. She said she thought her family was going to die on Sunday night.
The occupants are still shaken and fragile. They don't want to be named or shown, but told 3 News of their terrifying ordeal.
The owners were due to move into the house last Friday. A mix-up meant their power wouldn't be connected until Monday. The power company offered them a motel but the family said no. They thought they could manage for a couple of days.
It's the first home they've ever bought and they were excited about moving in. They say their electrician, provided by Shah Homes, from whom the family bought the house, tried to sort out an alternative source of power on Friday afternoon.
The electrician asked neighbours if he could borrow or purchase their power for the family – a practice our inquiries confirm is not illegal – but everyone said no.
So a petrol generator was hired and put in the garage. It was used for an hour on Saturday, and when the family woke on the Sunday they felt sick and groggy. Their chests were heavy. But they used the generator again that night so they could make dinner.
By 10:30pm, every family member was vomiting and collapsing. One of the daughters collapsed in the hallway. Her mother crawled to her, she was cold and unresponsive. Her mother thought she was dying, and she performed CPR. Her father managed to call a friend and begged for help. The mother was able to let them into the house, and that's the last thing anyone can remember.
Emergency services pulled the semi-conscious family from the house. They were all suffering carbon monoxide poisoning. The mother admitted she initially thought she'd poisoned the family with food.
She remembers coming outside the house wearing an oxygen mask. The firemen, she said, worked quickly. She was told the first thing a fire officer did was switch off the generator.
The family spent time in the Devonport Naval Base decompression chamber. Even that wasn't easy for the children, the pressure causing problems for their ears.
But they are expected to make a full recovery. The mother said to 3 News “just imagine if we'd gone to bed. We probably wouldn't have woken up.”
Police and other authorities are investigating, but the mother isn't blaming anyone. She just hopes people will learn from their experience, describing carbon monoxide as a silent killer.
3 News
source: newshub archive
