BERLIN — Firefighters with air packs rescued four members of a Berlin family – all unconscious – from their home at about 3 a.m. Wednesday after they were overcome by carbon monoxide.
“As I understand it, the man was disoriented and got awake. He went to the others and found out they were not responding to him,” said Doyle Paul, president of the Berlin Volunteer Fire Company.
“He was able to call 911. The caller’s speech was slurred.”
Elwood Bowser was found on his kitchen floor, cell phone in hand dialed to county dispatchers – apparently saving his family.
“They were all incoherent,” said Jerry Parry, chief of the Berlin fire company.
“I don’t suspect it would have been much longer that they all would have been dead.”
Four helicopters flew Elwood and Joyce Bowser and their two school-age daughters to hospitals in Pittsburgh and Altoona.
No information on their conditions was available.
Parry said carbon monoxide readings inside the home were 800 to 1,000 parts per million.
“When we have 35 ppm, we tell people to get out of the house and get it checked,” the chief said.
Parry said the cause of the gas buildup was a chimney that became clogged and filled the house with fumes, carbon monoxide and smoke. He said the house at 311 Hays Mill Road in Brothersvalley Township was heated by coal furnaces in the basement.
The other three family members were carried from their beds on the second floor.
Three dogs in the home also were struggling but started to come around once they got outside into the fresh air.
“I’ve been a firefighter 39 years and I don’t recall an event with four helicopters at the same time,” Paul said. “It could have been a really deadly situation there.”
Carbon monoxide binds with the blood, restricting its ability to carry oxygen.
Parry said some in the Bowser family were being treated in hyperbaric chambers.
According to WebMD, the treatment involves putting the patient into a full-body chamber that uses oxygen under pressure, removing carbon monoxide.
Most people recover from carbon monoxide poisoning if they receive medical treatment quickly. Severe exposure can lead to heart or brain damage or death.
Crews were on the scene Wednesday for 90 minutes.
Others responding included the Meyersdale Volunteer Fire Company and ambulance companies from Berlin, Meyersdale and Somerset.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Firefighters rescued a family of four who had been overcome by carbon monoxide inside this home at 311 Hays Mill Road in Brothersvalley Township. Dave Lloyd
Discussion
Family escapes poisoning
- Local News
-
-
Mild winter speeds work: Entertainment venue may be complete by end of May
An unusually mild winter has accelerated construction of a new outdoor entertainment venue in Johnstown.
-
Man jailed on rash of charges
A Patton man is being held on $100,000 bond after police said he threatened to kill a woman, her family and himself unless she talked to him about a protection-from-abuse order.
-
Cambria abolishes 16 jobs
Following through on promises to cut budget costs, the Cambria County commissioners voted Thursday to abolish 16 positions, including nine full-time jobs.
-
Blogging with heart
Anyone else have this issue: The more I know, the more I want to learn.
As I am writing my heart month stories for this week’s packages, I occasionally come across a term or description unfamiliar to me. So I look it up. And then the definition or article has something else that sounds important, so I look that up. -
Wozniak defends his support of drilling bill
State Sen. John Wozniak, D-Westmont, one of only seven Democrats to support the Marcellus Shale legislation adopted this week, said the bill protects the environment and provides help to local communities impacted by the natural gas drilling.
-
Businessman hoping to unseat Wozniak
Tim Houser uses two words – “challenging opportunity” – to describe his goal in this year’s elections.
-
Judge tosses evidence in robbery
A Cambria County prosecutor said he’ll have to drop robbery charges against a Twin Rocks woman after much of his evidence was suppressed by a judge.
-
Shooting defendant pleads to attempted murder
A Philadelphia man pleaded guilty Thursday in county court to attempted murder and theft in a Nov. 18 home invasion in which the homeowner was shot.
-
Garrett man sought in Somerset crime
An arrest warrant has been issued for Samuel McFarland Jr., 33, of Berlin Street in Garrett in connection with Saturday’s robbery of two boys outside Dollar General on East Main Street in Somerset.
-
City man shot during alleged burglary
A Johnstown man was shot during a burglary attempt in Indiana County and then burglarized a home in Armstrong County before he was arrested, authorities said Thursday.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
