BLAKELY, Pa. — A man is dead, and several others became sick after an apparent carbon monoxide leak in Blakely Monday morning at the Bodnick Street Apartment building.
According to the Lackawanna County Coroner, Peter Gentile, 48, passed away at a nearby hospital. He lived at the Bodnick Street apartment building.
Authorities said two other residents live in the same building and also suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.
Blakely Police Chief Guy Salerno says this is a preventable tragedy.
"We know that this could obviously be prevented. If you could please put a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Make sure the batteries are good," said Cheif Salerno.
Because of this tragedy, members of the police and hose companies are reminding residents to check their carbon monoxide alarms frequently, and if they don't have them, to get them installed.
"Unfortunately, when something like this happens, it does bring things to light that you're not really thinking of on a daily basis. So, of course, we're letting everybody know: This happened. This could happen to you if you don't follow the proper precautions in your home," said Chief Salerno.
The Blakely Hose Company laid out some of those precautions on Facebook that officials stress should be done monthly, annually, and each time you relocate.
- Test your CO detector monthly.
- Have one CO detector on each floor of your residence
- Change your batteries once per year or twice annually when you adjust your clocks along with your smoke detector.
Officials believe that a heating system malfunction led to the emissions of the deadly gas.
Police and fire officials in Lackawanna County are still investigating the man's death.