Alert to woodburner owners following carbon monoxide incident

Fire crews were called to Hanley William, which is close to the south Shropshire border, to an incident involving a carbon monoxide detector activating.

A spokesman from Tenbury Wells Fire Station, which was sent by fire control at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Fire Service. said the occupants were advised to leave the property.

Firefighters using breathing apparatus during the early morning incident on Wednesday, used a gas monitor to confirm the presence of the odourless, flammable poison gas.

The Tenbury crew spokesman said: "We were alerted to a carbon monoxide alarm activating at a house in Hanley William.

"Our fire control staff advised the occupants to leave the building immediately and on our arrival, two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus took a gas monitor inside to check the property.

"We found a room with a woodburning stove, with levels of carbon monoxide present. "

The fire crew ventilated the property by opening all the doors and windows and removed the fuel from the woodburner.

"The owner was advised not to re-light the fire until the seals and flue are checked by a professional installer," said the spokesman.

"You cannot taste, smell or see carbon monoxide but it is highly toxic and flammable. Carbon monoxide can kill quickly so it is important to install carbon monoxide alarms in rooms where fuels such as wood, gas and oil are burnt."