Carbon monoxide leak puts family in danger

One family was in a near-death situation when their carbon monoxide detector went off in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, father of three and husband Elijah Allen heard the alarm and told his family.

“It was lethal enough to kill them and if I wouldn’t have reacted quick enough, me and my wife could have lost her,” Allen said.

Allen and one of his daughters said they were not sure if it was a CO leak because you can not taste it, smell it or see it.

“I was nervous because knowing that you cant taste it smell it see it,” Allen said. “I was nervous because I didn’t know how high it was in the home.”

Property managers are not required by law to inspect furnaces for carbon monoxide leaks, instead it is only mandatory for the initial installation of a furnace.

When the furnace was turned on initially, the readings were at an acceptable safe level, but the next day the apartment was unsafe.

One of Allen’s daughters, Virginia said she listened to her dad to evacuate the building but was still extremely frightened.

“I didn’t want to scare my sister so I tried to keep calm but I was freaking out on the inside,” Virginia said.

El Paso Fire Department Spokesman, Carlos Briano, said it is up to the homeowner to test their furnaces for potentially hazardous leaks.

“You want to hire a professional to come and check your equipment for any carbon monoxide leaks, especially because it can give you flu-like symptoms.”

ABC-7 found out carbon monoxide detectors are only around $20 at local hardware stores.