A Kelowna man died this week due to what Mounties say is suspected carbon monoxide poisoning caused by using a propane stove inside a trailer.
Mounties conducted a wellness check at a trailer on Lougheed Road Dec. 21, and found the 63-year old man residing in it had died.
There was a propane stove still burning and it appeared as though the man may have been using it to keep warm.
A preliminary investigation indicates the man’s death is the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. The BC Coroners Service is conducting its own investigation into the circumstances of the man’s death.
“Early detection of carbon monoxide is paramount,” Paul Johnson, fire prevention officer with Kelowna Fire Department said in a press release.
“Not only must every home have a smoke alarm, but it also should have a working carbon monoxide alarm.”
They recommend having natural gas/propane appliances in your home well-maintained regularly by a licensed contractor to reduce the risk of CO exposure. They also said to use portable propane heaters, stoves and lights outdoors — not within an unventilated enclosure.
Smoke and CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards, Johnson said. For the best protection, he added, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
“With the cold weather in effect and extreme cold anticipated in the coming days, the Kelowna RCMP is working closely with the city to support the community in conducting wellness checks of the homeless,” says Inspector Adam MacIntosh, operations officer of Kelowna detachment.
“Our frontline officers will be handing out items such as socks, gloves and hats and will be working closely with the shelters in efforts to prevent cold-weather injuries or fatalities”.
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