A 28-year-old man died in his garage in Saint-Amable, Montérégie, after being poisoned by his generator.
The man, who was without power on Saturday night, used a generator in his garage to supply power to his house.
“Around midnight, he told his wife that he was going to do maintenance in the garage. After about twenty minutes, she realized that he was not coming back, so she started to worry, ”said Kevin Latulippe, captain of the Richelieu – Saint-Laurent intermunicipal police board, in the Montérégie region.
Arriving in the garage, she found her partner unconscious on his automobile. “The panic took hold and she called the emergency service,” adds Captain Latulippe.
The firefighters, accompanied by the police, came to the scene, since there was the presence of carbon monoxide. They carried out resuscitation maneuvers, “but it was too late,” said Mr. Latulippe.
He was pronounced dead at the Pierre-Boucher Hospital in Longueuil at around 2 a.m. “He had no medical history,” he says.
Watch out for carbon monoxide
Portable fuel-fired generators, commonly used during power outages, produce carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas, and can cause symptoms, such as headaches, shortness of breath, fatigue, and death. .
“Do not use portable fuel generators indoors or in partially closed places, whether at home, at the cottage or in your garage, even in an emergency”, specifies the Government of Canada on its report. website.
When running, generators should be at least six meters away from doors and windows to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the home.
The government also recommends opting for a generator with a built-in sensor that triggers an automatic shut-off device if the build-up of carbon monoxide reaches a dangerous level in an enclosed space.