A eldery couple in Missouri died of carbon monoxide poisoning last Sunday, a tragedy that authorities are blaming on recent odd weather patterns, according to KRVI-TV onlone.
The married couple, whose names had not been released, were discovered in their home in Florissant by a neighbor.
Police and firefighters blamed the deaths on carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to the TV station, all the homes in the neighborhood where the couple was lived were brick and constructed in the 1950s. These homes are on concrete slabs with with radiant heating, with cooling systems added on late. The cooliung systems have a separate thermostat than the heater.
It was hot in the St. Louis area, so the air conditioner in the deceased couple’s home was turned on. But during the night, when the temperature cooled down, the thermostat for the heating turned on the heat.
Investigators claim that the the two competing thermostats, as well as a blocked flue, resulted in the carbon monoxide poisoning.
In order to warn others in the neighborhood of the potential danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, firefighters went from house to house, KVRI reported.
Authorities advised homeowners not to have two thermostats, only one, or to check that one is always off. People were also advised to install carbon monoxide detectors in their bedrooms.
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