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INUVIK
Three individuals were asleep, and one was flirting with unconsciousness but able to pick up the phone and call in the emergency situation seeping through the Navy Road house.

RCMP and the Inuvik Fire Department received a known carbon monoxide call at a residence last Tuesday.

Fire Chief Jim Sawkins said the department arrived at the house after the four occupants had been transported to the Inuvik Regional Hospital. Sawkins held out his gas detector at the door and it went into alarm immediately, showing between 25 and 35 parts per million of carbon monoxide in the air – a lethal amount.

"As I got closer to the furnace, it jumped upwards of 65 and upstairs was even worse and the windows were open," said Sawkins.

He called in another member of the fire department, one who is in the heating and ventilation business, who turned off the oil furnace and opened its clean-out pipe.

"A bunch of sludge came out and he stuck a screwdriver in to clear some more out and he went up as far as his arm and it was still coming out. His diagnosis was the chimney was old, corroded and collapsed inside on itself, no venting of the furnace whatsoever," said Sawkins.

The replaceable filter of the furnace was "charcoal black and hot to touch" and not its usual white colour.

"Not only did we have the potential of people dying as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, we were very close, these people are very very lucky. We almost had another Whitehorse," said Sawkins.

In January, five people died in a house in the Yukon capital after ice blocked the chimney, causing the build up of carbon monoxide.

As of Tuesday, the four individuals were fine and will be able to go home after the chimney and furnace are repaired, according to Sawkins.

Sawkins said residents must maintain their furnaces, wood stoves, fireplaces and chimneys and have them inspected on an annual basis. If residents have a fuel-fired appliance in their home, from wood, gas or oil, or if they have a garage attached to their home, they should have a carbon monoxide detector in their homes.

The fire department offers carbon monoxide detectors as well as smoke alarms at the fire hall free of charge. There has, however, been an "overwhelming" response over the past few months, leaving the fire department currently out of the carbon monoxide detectors. The fire department ordered 60 additional units which are being shipped to town this week. About 20 residents are waiting for the safety devices.

"It's a scary thing and especially up here when it's cold. Not only do we have to concern ourselves with furnace maintenance and chimney maintenance and having them inspected – by a certified technician, not uncle Bob down the road, on an annual basis – you have to ensure your ice is kept clear at the top of the chimney," said Sawkins.

Sawkins said there are warning signs that carbon monoxide is in the home. If residents experience nausea, a lack of circulation – blueness in the fingernails or toes – and constant headaches, all might be indicators of a carbon monoxide issue.

He said residents can call the fire department anytime if they'd like their home checked for carbon monoxide levels.

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