Kamloops firefighters say a family is alive this morning after their carbon monoxide alarm alerted them to an overnight leak.

In a twitter thread, firefighters say they were called to a report of a carbon-monoxide alarm beeping around 3 a.m. today, Jan. 16.

“It was not a false alarm,” KFR said. “Fire crews confirmed the presence of CO with their gas detector [and] it appears heating equipment was malfunctioning

“When they arrived on scene, the family had evacuated the house, and everyone reported that they were feeling fine.”

KFR says the incident is a reminder of the importance of carbon monoxide alarms, suggesting that people install one on every level of their home and outside each sleeping area.

Just like with smoke alarms, people are being told to test these alarms monthly, and ensure that alarms can be heard throughout the house.

“Without carbon monoxide alarms, people can be easily overwhelmed by the odourless gas,” KFR said. “While there can be warning symptoms such as nausea and headache, reduced oxygen to the brain can cause these symptoms to easily be missed- especially if the victim is already asleep.”

“If you don’t having working smoke or carbon monoxide alarms in your home, please get that dealt with immediately, the lives you save could be your own. Smoke and CO Alarms are available at most hardware stores, and specialty fire safety retailers.”

Firefighters say they can provide smoke and CO alarms to people, in some cases, if residents are not able to get one for themselves.