Carbon monoxide detectors sell quickly in wake of Ont. deaths

Mon Dec 15, 8:30 AM

TORONTO (CBC) - The carbon monoxide poisoning deaths of six people from two Ontario families in the past month have led to a spike in some stores' sales of devices to detect the deadly gas.

M.J. Szumlaski, manager of the main Canadian Tire location in Kingston, Ont., said her store has been selling as many carbon monoxide detectors a day - about 30 - as it does normally in a month.

"They're just flying out of here," said Szumlaski. "Everybody's asking about them."

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous, colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-irritating gas produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels.

On Nov. 23, Adrianus Van Ravenstein and his son, Michael, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in their Kingston home. Just over a week later, OPP Const. Laurie Hawkins, 41, was found unconscious in her home along with the bodies of her husband Richard Hawkins, 40, their daughter Cassandra, 14, and their son Jordan, 12. Laurie Hawkins later died in hospital.

Hearing about such recent tragedies prompted Karla Henderson to visit the Kingston Canadian Tire on Friday.

Carbon monoxide detectors are normally found in the hardware department, but in recent days, two large bins filled with the detectors have been placed just inside the front doors.

As Henderson read the instructions on one of the packages, she was asked by a CBC reporter if she was going to buy it.

"Oh, I'm going to buy them, two of them - I mean, you know, after hearing all these stories here in Kingston and elsewhere as well," she said.

At the Kingston West Canadian Tire on the other side of town, business manager Michael Kirkpatrick said stores across the province have seen a jump in sales of carbon monoxide detectors, and they could soon run out.

That has already happened at the Home Hardware store in Syndenham, near Kingston, where store officials said they expected to have more in by Wednesday, but weren't sure.

The problem isn't restricted to the Kingston area.

A representative of a Home Depot in London, Ont., told CBC it was also completely sold out and it will be at least a week before more stock comes in.

Rob Kidd, Kingston's assistant fire chief, said he's relieved to see more homes will be safe.

But he warned that people who haven't yet bought carbon monoxide detectors shouldn't wait until another tragedy happens before equipping their own home.

Last week, in the wake of the Woodstock deaths, Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman introduced a private member's bill in the Ontario legislature that would require carbon monoxide detectors in all Ontario homes.

Currently, the detectors are only required in homes built after 2001. However, at least one municipality, Mississauga, also has a city bylaw requiring the devices be installed and tested.