Pellets, heating sponges, generators and the danger of gas

A few minutes after opening the door to the pellet store, two men collapsed. By the time they were found, it was already too late. Both died. The tragedy that occurred on the evening of February 24th in a hotel in Lech am Arlberg was caused by gas poisoning. Carbon monoxide may have formed during storage or when rearranging the pellets. This can happen if the heating warehouse is not sufficiently ventilated.

“The storage room must be permanently ventilated directly to the outside. Opening the door is not enough and is dangerous because the gas flows out into the house,” said Armin Kaltenegger from the Road Safety Board on Wednesday at a press conference in Linz. Pellets make up almost ten percent of all heating systems in Austria, and the majority of them are ventilated via the filling cap. If this is not the case, you can retrofit it without much effort.

Co flows through walls

Carbon monoxide (CO) is so insidious because it spreads quickly without being noticed. The deadly gas is odorless, tasteless and invisible. What’s more, it can even escape through small cracks in the walls or under doors. “There was a death in Vienna because carbon monoxide leaked from the bathroom in the neighboring apartment. Next to it was the bedroom of the person who died from it,” said Kaltenegger. Since the life-threatening poisoning does not present with any typical symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath, carbon monoxide is also known as the “silent killer”.

Generator sets for outdoor use only

In addition to pellets, emergency generators are also considered a “special case”. The demand for self-sufficient power generators has recently risen sharply – Keyword blackout. Extreme caution is required during commissioning. This was shown by the tragic death of two boys in Lasberg in July 2021. “Emergency generators are only suitable for outside,” said Kaltenegger.

90 percent of all fire deaths occur due to smoke inhalation. Accidents involving carbon monoxide occur again and again, especially during the heating season. Of the approximately 200 cases recorded by the Road Safety Board in Austria each year, 36 percent occur in the winter months of December, January and February. This time of year, so-called “heating sponges” are also very popular. The same applies to them: never set them up in closed rooms, such as at garage parties.

Alarms as life savers

To be on the safe side, Günther Schwabegger from the Upper Austria Fire Prevention Agency recommends a CO alarm. “It warns in good time about escaping carbon monoxide with a shrill alarm tone and costs between 30 and 50 euros,” he said. The alarms are particularly advisable in houses and apartments in which combustion systems, heating systems and devices such as instantaneous water heaters, gas boilers and gas stoves are operated in closed rooms.

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