Deurne (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A Deurne family of 4, including children aged 7 and 9, was hospitalised Monday night, Jan 5, 2026, after carbon monoxide from an indoor charcoal barbecue; Wouter Bruyns and Bruns warned on ventilation and boiler maintenance.
As VRT News reported, a family of 4 from Deurne was taken to the hospital late Monday night, Jan 5, 2025, after a carbon monoxide incident at their home. The parents and their 2 children, aged 7 and 9, started to feel unwell around 11:30 p.m. They suffered from nausea and dizziness and felt weakness.
When the symptoms became more serious, the family contacted the emergency services. Paramedics arrived at the scene and quickly identified signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. All 4 were treated at the house and then transported to the hospital for further examination. Their condition was reported as stable.
“They had far too high CO2 levels in their blood. Their lives were not in danger, but they still had to go to the hospital for care,”
says Wouter Bruyns of the local police in Antwerp.
What causes Carbon Monoxide poisoning from indoor barbecues?
The incident was caused by a charcoal barbecue that had been used inside the living room earlier that evening. Officials mentioned that the burning charcoal produced carbon monoxide, a toxic gas that cannot be seen or smelled. Because the room was closed and poorly ventilated, the gas accumulated inside the home.
This led to the family becoming overwhelmed. Emergency services repeated their warning about the dangers of using barbecues or fuel-burning devices indoors. Carbon monoxide can cause serious harm in a short time, especially to children.
“If you feel nauseous or dizzy and there may be CO in the air, immediately open your windows to ventilate.”
Wouter Bruyns, Local Police Antwerp
“This is a life-threatening situation,”
Bruns warns,
“You can’t smell or see CO gas, so it’s a silent killer. CO poisoning does produce clear symptoms: nausea, headaches, dizziness.”
Brunns mentioned that individuals experiencing any sudden symptoms of dizziness or nausea, alongside experiencing head pain, should consider having exposure to carbon monoxide in their living place. There are a number of sources for this type of gas, including open burning flame sources, such as wood-burning stoves, or those generated from an improperly functioning heating boiler.
He pointed out that regular and proper maintenance of these types of equipment is extremely important to avoid these types of situations. In regard to fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, every chimney must be thoroughly cleaned out regularly so that smoke is allowed to escape properly. Lastly, heating boilers must be regularly serviced and checked by certified professionals.
Several similar cases involving carbon monoxide poisoning have occurred in the past. In November 2023, a Schaerbeek family was treated at a hospital after carbon monoxide had spread throughout their residence during the night. When emergency personnel arrived, multiple individuals were experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, including a child who experienced a brief loss of consciousness.
In June of 2024, another Brussels-based family became ill after using a barbeque inside the home. This incident resulted in a build-up of toxic gases within the residence. In addition to both of these recent cases, there have been many other instances in recent winters where firefighting officials have responded to calls for assistance due to either malfunctioning heating equipment or improper handling of open flames in the home.
