The firemen can only notice that the drama has already played out in the apartment. “Upon entering the flat, the CO detector of the rescuers immediately went into alarm. They opened the windows to ventilate and they turned off the gas convector which was working at full speed. The resident, a lady in her thirties, was in an armchair. His death was immediately pronounced by the SMUR doctor dispatched to the scene.
Old convector
According to the representative of the Brussels emergency services, the CO levels measured explain the death. “The deadly gas, tasteless, odorless and colorless, came from an obsolete gas convector. Sibelga sealed the installation.” Then, “the other accommodations in the house were also ventilated and the installations were inspected. The officer, head of operations on site, drew the attention of the occupants to the fact that their installation could present CO releases as we age and that it was preferable to install CO detectors with this type of installation and/or to provide condensing boilers in the future.
The Brussels firefighters, as usual during these dramatic circumstances, are repeating the usual safety advice and precautions regarding gas heating. They list: “install a compliant appliance by an approved installer, have it maintained by a qualified technician, carry out the mandatory biannual inspection, check the evacuation of combustion gases, provide fresh air and ventilation, install a CO detector”.
And to conclude, we recall that “in 2024, the most frequent poisoning in Belgium was the cause of 4 deaths, 109 hospitalizations and 41 treatments provided on site in the Brussels Region”.
