SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Two brothers died and their mother remains hospitalized as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning inside their apartment this week in Tijuana.
Tijuana’s Fire Department says the two boys, a 5-month-old and a 4-year-old were killed by a faulty water heater.
“People often have the water heaters inside their small homes and there’s not enough ventilation, and when they start to release the carbon monoxide it cuts off the oxygen levels,” said José Luis Jiménez González, director of Tijuana’s Civil Protection.
A day before the brothers died, a man, a woman and their dog were also killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in Tijuana.
During the last 12 months, six people have died and 31 have been hospitalized due to carbon monoxide.
Jiménez González said water heaters have to be placed outside homes, something some residents and landlords ignore with lethal consequences.
“Some people also put them on their porch, but when they close the doors and windows for security reasons, it creates a lack of ventilation with no place for the gases and fumes to escape.”
The head of Tijuana’s civil protection also says gas-wall heaters can also malfunction emitting carbon monoxide. He suggests people have their heaters serviced to insure the systems are working properly.
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