An Australian family has been rushed to hospital after they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning for a makeshift heater.
There's no denying that it's absolutely freezing in parts of Australia at the moment, however let this story be a warning that there are unsafe sources of heat.
The family of six in Merrylands in Sydney's west decided to bring their charcoal BBQ inside to heat up their granny flat.
However, they didn't have proper ventilation and they just sat around breathing in smoke from the barbecue as they tried to get warm.
Paramedics were called early yesterday (July 19) after one of the residents complained of a headache from the fumes.
They discovered two elderly people, two children and two adults in a bad way and rushed them to hospital for treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Authorities discovered the family had fired up the BBQ to warm the home and they then all fell asleep and breathed in the potentially deadly smoke.
They were taken to Westmead Hospital in stable conditions and have been treated by staff, according to the Daily Mail.
Fire and Rescue NSW crews were also brought to the Merrylands home to assess the safety of the property.
People have been warned to avoid this method of warming your home at all costs.
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said: "Whilst we understand the family and their guests were trying to stay warm during winter and thought bringing the makeshift heating device inside was a good idea, it unwittingly put lives at risk.
“Fortunately this has been a tragedy avoided — I’d say by sheer luck.
"This carbon monoxide is poisonous, toxic, deadly."
The cold isn't expected to let up anytime soon and actually could get worse.
A 'polar frost' is forecast to sweep its way across south-east Australia, which could bring sub-zero temperatures.
Great, just great.
Bureau of Meteorology’s Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury told The Guardian: "We are expecting a return of very cold mornings with minimum temperatures expected to drop to four to eight degrees below average from Tuesday onwards across large parts of Victoria, Tasmania … parts of New South Wales and eastern South Australia."
“Widespread frost is expected with possibly severe frost across some inland parts where temperatures are likely to drop below -2 degrees.”
So get ready south-eastern Australia, it's about to get frosty.
Featured Image Credit: Nine News. Fire and Rescue NSW/Facebook
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