Man dead, 6 in hospital after accidental carbon monoxide poisoning at Kitchener, Ont. home

Police say a 25-year-old man is dead from an accidental carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a car left running in the garage of a Kitchener, Ont. home.

Six other people who were also in the home were transported to hospital. Neighbours say many of the residents were international students or otherwise new to Canada.

• RELATED: Advocates pushing for more education on carbon monoxide dangers

Emergency crews responded to the townhouse on Activa Avenue near Periwinkle Street around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Paramedics are seen outside a home on Activa Avenue in Kitchener on Dec. 19, 2023. (Submitted)

Witnesses described a street full of ambulances and fire trucks with multiple people being taken out of the home on stretchers and at least one being given CPR.

Police said the incident is not considered suspicious.

'THE CARBON MONOXIDE LEVEL WAS SO HIGH'

Keval Desai lives in the adjoining townhouse.

He said he and his six housemates were woken up around 6:45 a.m. by their carbon monoxide detector going off.

“We checked our electrical appliances but everything was fine, but still our alarm was not shutting off so we opened our door and windows,” he said.

Nirav Vipani, Devanshi Chauhan, and Keval Desai live in the townhouse that shares walls with the unit where the poisoning happened. (Dave Pettitt/CTV Kitchener)

It wasn’t until another housemate spotted the emergency response outside around half an hour later that they realized what had happened.

“In our house also, the carbon monoxide level was so high,” Desai’s housemate Nirav Vipani said. “So firefighters told us we had to move outside and they checked all the rooms.”

Eventually they were told it was safe to go back inside.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SAY MORE EDUCATION NEEDED

It’s not clear if the other home had working carbon monoxide alarms but Desai and his housemates believe more education is needed. He said many international students fear they could get in trouble or have to pay a fine if emergency crews are called to their house.

“Being international students this is a really difficult situation for us, we can’t even imagine what we faced this morning,” Desai said. “My humble request to the government… and property managers, before you rent the house, please let your tenants know how the system works, what to do in this emergency kind of situation.”

He said firefighters gave them some of that information this morning.

“Whenever the carbon monoxide alarm turns on at the house, don’t do anything, just leave your house, don’t worry about any fines or penalties or any false alarm. The firefighters are very friendly, they will come and make sure your house is safe, they won’t charge you.”

CTV News reached out to the Kitchener Fire Department but was told no one was available to comment. It's unclear if the home had working carbon monoxide detectors or how long the car had been left running.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR

The City of Kitchener recommends checking your carbon monoxide and smoke alarms each month to ensure they’re working properly. Batteries should be changed twice a year.

Test the detector by holding down the ‘test’ button until an alarm sounds. If no alarm sounds, or it’s not loud and ear-piercing, you need a new one.

Alarms should be replaced every ten years, the city said.