A man died after possibly being overcome by toxic fumes inside his home.
The man’s daughter and fiancée went to check on the unidentified man after he didn’t show up to church services Sunday morning, according to Philadelphia Deputy Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer.
When the women arrived at the man’s home on the 1200 block of Windrim Avenue in the city’s Logan section they smelled a strong odor of gas and fumes, according to investigators.
The women called 911 around 11 p.m. Firefighters arrived a short time later and vented the home after finding high carbon monoxide readings of 400 parts per million. (20 parts per million is average, according to firefighters.)
Once firefighters got inside the row home they found the man dead in a second floor bedroom.
Firefighters said the home had no CO detector inside.
Investigators from the fire department and crews from PGW were looking at a basement heater as a possible cause for the man’s death.
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“Heaters, if not cleaned, if you don’t check your flue -- make sure your flue is clean -- that’s where your CO escapes from… it will back into your home, build up and at some point you will become overcome;” Sawyer said.
