A faulty gas cylinder as well as “consumed products that can release carbon monoxide” were found in the home.
A two-year-old girl was killed and her mother seriously injured in suspected carbon monoxide poisoning on Thursday evening in Gueugnon (Saône-et-Loire), learned AFP from concordant sources.
In addition to the girl and her 24-year-old mother, hospitalized in absolute emergency, the 29-year-old father was also taken to hospital in relative emergency, firefighters said on Friday.
Another man, also in his twenties, is unharmed. His connection to the family remains unknown, according to the same source. The presence of carbon monoxide has been confirmed in the family apartment, according to the emergency services.
Faulty gas cylinder
The mayor of Gueugnon Dominique Lotte specified that an expert had confirmed the presence of a faulty gas cylinder. She could have fled, firefighters confirmed.
However, the emergency services indicated that they had also found traces of consumed products in the apartment that could release carbon monoxide, which could suggest the combustion of a brazier.
70 people poisoned since September
The investigation, led by the gendarmerie, remains however in progress, according to the firefighters. They remind you that you should not use certain appliances, such as barbecues or braziers, to heat your home because they risk causing carbon monoxide poisoning.
Since September, more than 70 people have been poisoned after trying to heat their homes with devices not intended for this purpose, according to figures dating from mid-November and published by the National Agency for Food Safety, environment and labor (ANSES).
