German family hospitalized after using charcoal to heat home

BERLIN

Two people were taken to hospital in southern Germany after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from using a charcoal grill to heat their home, local media reported on Monday.

As the police reported in a press release, a man in Muhldorf, Bavaria, used a charcoal grill as a heater in his apartment because of the increased energy prices. Due to the carbon monoxide buildup in the apartment, two people had to be taken to hospital with symptoms of poisoning. They were not in danger of death.

According to the report, the police started an investigation against the apartment owner and warned of the life-threatening dangers of such actions.

The incident is said to have occurred in the night from Saturday to Sunday. At shortly after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning (2300GMT Saturday) a 50-year-old man made an emergency call and communicated that he had brought his wife to hospital because of headache and dizziness. He also said his nephew was still lying unconscious in the apartment.

When the emergency services arrived at the apartment, a carbon monoxide warning device had triggered the alarm. The 34-year-old nephew of the apartment owner was immediately taken to hospital.

As the police further reported, a charcoal grill, which had been operated in the living room of the dwelling, was determined as cause for the high concentration of the life-threatening gas.

The apartment owner later admitted to police that he had used it "for heating because the electricity bill was so expensive."