Third carbon monoxide scare in the same street

PEOPLE are being warned to check they are using solid fuel burners safely — after the third carbon monoxide scare in one North Devon street.

Witheridge firefighters evacuated a family from their home in Butts Close last week after a carbon monoxide leak — the third to occur in the street in two months.

Retained firefighter Paul Rich called 999 when two carbon monoxide detectors in his house sounded at 9.45pm on Tuesday. Fire crews evacuated Paul, his wife, Dawn, and their two children, aged seven and nine, who were asleep in bed.

Firefighters discovered an extremely high concentration of carbon monoxide in the house coming from a solid fuel burner in the front room.

Dawn was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital by ambulance suffering from mild carbon monoxide poisoning.

She said: "It was terrifying. I was very shaky, felt sick and had a banging headache. If we'd been asleep, all four of us would all be dead now."

Paul said: "The alarm went off a couple of days before so I called our landlord, North Devon Homes.

"They sent an engineer who carried out a few tests and assured us the burner was fine to use.

"A few hours later we were being evacuated with lethal levels of carbon monoxide floating around the house."

In December firefighters were called to two carbon monoxide incidents in Butts Close in the same week. One was at a North Devon Homes property.

Witheridge district councillor Jeremy Yabsley is one of three council-appointed directors of North Devon Homes. He said: "This is not a coincidence — it's an extremely worrying trend. I will be raising the matter with the company board in the strongest of tones."

Donna Baddeley, director of neighbourhoods with North Devon Homes, said: "It seems that people are using the wrong type of fuel in these burners and this is the cause of the problem.

"We are in the process of producing a guide for residents to explain exactly what can and can't be burnt.

"We have also been proactive with this issue and given carbon monoxide detectors to every property with a solid fuel burner."