STONY POINT - An accidentally blocked ventilation pipe was to blame in the carbon monoxide poisoning of a family Saturday.
Building Inspector William Sheehan and a fire inspector investigated the incident on Stubbe Drive.
Sheehan said yesterday that it appeared the cap of a vent for a gas-fired water heater had been blown off by high winds and that the homeowner had put it back himself.
"When he put it back on, he forced the pipe down on top of the heater and eliminated the air gap between the vent and the boiler," Sheehan said. "The boiler was not properly venting, which allowed carbon monoxide to come into the house."
Four members of the family were taken to Nyack Hospital for non-life-threatening exposure to carbon monoxide [a tragedy avoided for sure!]. They were later taken to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, which has a hyperbaric center.
When police arrived, they found a child lethargic, incoherent and nauseous. Later, two other children and a parent began showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Stony Point Fire Department ventilated the house. The Stony Point and Haverstraw ambulance corps also responded.
Police said there was no carbon monoxide detector in the home, as is required by county law.
County Fire Coordinator Gordon Wren Jr. said yesterday that the incident illustrated the importance of installing carbon monoxide detectors in homes.
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