Carbon monoxide poisoning: a couple found dead in Toulouse and a 48-year-old man dies in Villeneuve-Tolosane
A couple was found dead on Monday evening in Toulouse in a squat. A 48-year-old man died the same way in Villeneuve-Tolosane.
Winter tragedies linked to carbon monoxide poisoning have bereaved the Haute-Garonne department in recent hours. Monday, shortly after 8 p.m., friends of Maria and Valev gave the alert to the firefighters and the Samu.
They had not heard from the couple in their forties for several days, which was not in their habits.
Their friends first went to see before calling for help. Maria and Valev lived in a large pavilion that had been abandoned for many years, in the Paleficat district, north of Toulouse.
The windows of the building were walled in with a lot of cinder block. To chase away the cold, the squatters added moss. They also chased fresh air. The couple were found dead in bed. An extinguished barbecue is nearby. To warm them up. It will have been fatal to them as well as to their cat.
On the spot the police services proceeded on observations. As always in such cases, a medico-legal obstacle has been posed. Maria and Valev will be autopsied.
Brazier
A little earlier in the day, on the road from Portet to Villeneuve-Tolosane, in the west of Toulouse, a similar discovery had taken place. It was the colleagues of a 48-year-old man, worried about not having heard from him since Thursday, who raised the alarm.
Once again, the firefighters and the Samu intervened. When they arrived, the home was closed but the helpers managed to enter.
Inside the accommodation, they found a lifeless man, face down on the floor. There was nothing more to be done to bring him back to life. The presence of a brazier and the absence of ventilation immediately made one think of carbon monoxide poisoning. Again, an autopsy must take place. For the couple, a police investigation is open. Concerning the forties, the gendarmes are in charge of the investigations.
As the cold settles in the department, the authorities, including the regional health agency, respondent to the greatest caution (read box).
Cold and energy costs: “The scissors effect”
Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas. It causes nausea, dizziness and stomach aches, up to death. “It’s very cold and energy is expensive, observe an officer from SDIS 31. This causes a scissors effect. People are looking for accessory means to heat themselves, either old equipment or auxiliary heating which should not be used as the main heating. Other people bring in their barbecue but the embers contain a lot of monoxide. In any case, it is necessary to renew the air regularly”.