A grandfather and two children were taken to hospital following a carbon monoxide leak at a home in Vancouver's Killarney neighbourhood.
Nine people had to evacuate a house near Tyne Street and 47th Avenue Tuesday night, and a hazmat team was called in to ventilate the building.
Firefighters told CTV News they were alerted to the danger inside the home by the CO monitors paramedics wear when responding to calls.
They were initially called to the home for reports that the grandfather was experiencing chest pains, and determined the cause was carbon monoxide. His exposure was more serious than the children's and he may need treatment in a hyperbaric chamber at Vancouver General Hospital.
A hospital spokesperson did not provide details, but said he was in stable condition as of 9:30 a.m.
The kids remained at BC Children's Hospital on Wednesday, and their condition is considered to be less serious than their grandfather's.
The children's uncle, who also lives in the home, told CTV News his father is 65, and his nephews are 4 and 7.
Inder Tiwana said he came home at around 9 p.m. Tuesday, and soon started feeling lethargic.
He said he and other family members felt unwell all week, but that night, his dad started to complain of chest pains and first responders were called.
Tiwana said the family had no carbon monoxide detectors in the house.
"I feel grateful that we caught it and everyone's OK, and I urge everyone to get those CO detectors and be safe," he said.
"$10 could save some lives."
Firefighters believe the leak may have been caused by a hot water heat exchanger, which had just been serviced last year.
Battalion Chief Dave Rosenlund described the situation as "very serious."
"Levels can displace oxygen in your blood, to the level that one person from the home had chest pains. You can die from it," he said.
Stacey Silber says she knows first-hand how close you can come to tragedy.
Her family was rescued form carbon monoxide poisoning back in December 2014.
"It's unbelievably scary," she told CTV. "It made us really appreciate our lives made us know that our lives are so precious and can end on a moment's notice."
The city introduced a bylaw in 2017 making monitors mandatory, but Silber believes more can be done.
"One thing I was thinking about… when people renew their insurance, some kind of check be implemented before your insurance gets renewed," she said.
In a message on Twitter, Fire Chief Darrell Reid called the actions of firefighters, paramedics and the hazmat team Tuesday life-saving, and reminded the public to check their smoke and CO detectors regularly.
By daylight Wednesday, the home had been vented and a crew from FortisBC had visited. Repairs will be done on the furnace system and the people living in the house may be allowed back in later in the day.
Carbon monoxide is both colourless and odourless.
Last month, 13 people were sent to hospital following a carbon monoxide leak at a Vancouver office building. In a separate incident, a mother and her two young children are recovering after they were found in their vehicle in Abbotsford suffering CO poisoning on Boxing Day.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott and Breanna Karstens-Smith
