Fire service responds to carbon monoxide incident from gas BBQ used indoors during Storm Eunice power cut

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service was called on Saturday 19 February 2022 to a carbon monoxide incident caused by a resident using a gas barbecue indoors, the service reported. The resident was seeking warmth and hot food during a power cut following Storm Eunice. A carbon monoxide alarm alerted the residents to dangerous levels of the gas and they were able to escape¹.

The service said that without the alarm the occupiers might have gone to bed and woken up very unwell, or might not have woken up at all. A few doors away there was a second near-miss, with a resident asleep upstairs and a gas fire with many candles left unattended downstairs¹.

Wayne Rawlins, Area Manager for prevention, said:

The service also issued advice on other ignition sources during outages. It asked people who need to light their home without power to choose torches or battery-powered lights rather than candles where possible. If candles must be used, it said they should be in a heat-proof candle holder and kept well away from anything that could catch fire, including furniture, curtains, books and shelves, and should never be left unattended or left burning when leaving the room or going to sleep. Portable gas or oil heaters should be kept at least 1 metre from people or furniture¹.

On carbon monoxide alarms, the service said that if an alarm is beeping, people should immediately get out of the building and call the relevant helpline for the fuel type: gas on 0800 111 999, coal on 08456 014 406 and oil on 08456 585 080. If anyone starts to feel unwell, it said this could be carbon monoxide poisoning and 999 should be called immediately¹.

Why it matters for households

The incident shows the risk of bringing outdoor cooking appliances inside when the power fails. The service's position is that barbecues are not designed for indoor use and should only be used in well-ventilated outdoor areas¹. Households without power face the same choices about lighting and heating that led to both incidents on 19 February, and the service asked people to share its advice with anyone they know who is without power until supply is restored¹. The practical points it set out cover lighting, heater placement and what to do when an alarm sounds. Our guides on barbecues in an emergency, carbon monoxide risks when the heating is off and what to do if your CO alarm sounds cover these situations, and the power cuts guide sets out the wider household picture during an outage.

What happens next

The service did not give a date for when power would be restored to affected households, and no further incidents linked to Storm Eunice power cuts have been reported in the statement. Its advice remains in force until supply returns¹.