OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A silent killer took the lives of three people inside A Millard home last week. Carbon monoxide was the culprit.
Investigators said it came from a car left running in the garage.
Omaha Fire Battalion chief Scott Fitzpatrick stressed how hard carbon monoxide is to detect.
"Carbon monoxide is often called an invisible killer because it is odorless, colorless, tasteless," Fitzpatrick said.
Leaving cars running in the garage even with the door open still poses a carbon monoxide risk. Fitzpatrick also said a lot of newer cars make it harder to detect if they're running.
"They're quieter," Fitzpatrick said. "The push button starts you forget to push it to turn it off, all those things play a factor."
He says the best line of defense is a carbon monoxide detector.
Fitzpatrick said OFD installs several hundred CO detectors in homes each year.
"I think it's a layer and a piece of mind to be alerted to something that's like that," Steven Gordon said.
Fitzpatrick said now's a good time to consider getting one as the winter months approach.
He said flu-like symptoms, such as headaches dizziness, chest tightening and vomiting can be all be red flags of poisoning.
"We want you to exit the house, call 911 and let us come in investigate it to see what the cause is," he said.
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