Carbon monoxide is a silent threat in our homes, posing serious dangers as it is odorless and colorless.
The U.S. Fire Administration reports that it claims over 150 lives annually.
In Washington State, 788 carbon monoxide incidents were reported last year, resulting in one death.
According to the Washington State Patrol website, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is providing tips to help protect the public from carbon monoxide.
They recommend installing detectors on every level of the home, especially near sleeping areas.
Their latest guidance emphasizes following manufacturer instructions for placement and conducting monthly tests and annual battery replacements.
The State Fire Marshal recommends using interconnected carbon monoxide alarms that trigger a household-wide alert if one detects danger.
This increases the chances of escape in an emergency. They also caution, “Never use generators inside homes, garages, or basements,” as per the Washington State Patrol website.
The Marshal’s Office stresses the importance of taking immediate action if a carbon monoxide detector alarms: exit the home right away and do not go back inside. Once safely outside, call 911 or the local fire department. If poisoning is suspected, seek medical attention immediately, as time is critical in these situations.
The college and state Attorney General’s Office confirmed the settlement payout to KING 5.
On December 11, 2023, Rodriguez, 21, and two other students were found unconscious in a modular housing unit. Rodriguez died, while the other two students survived.
A campus police officer was also sent the hospital and survived.
Investigators blamed faulty installation of a tankless water heater in the housing a week before the poisonings. They also said that despite alarms repeatedly going off, campus maintenance crews failed to recognize there was a carbon monoxide leak.
One of the students hospitalized due to the leak – Rodriguez’ girlfriend – told investigators that maintenance crews had told her it was OK to return to her unit despite the sounding of a carbon monoxide alarm. Within hours Rodriguez was dead and his girlfriend and roommate were hospitalized.
According to Thurston County prosecutors, Frank McCutcheon, 53, and his son Brett McCutcheon, 32, did not properly follow instructions when installing the unit by failing to properly connect exhaust pipes, allowing for the leak of the colorless, odorless, deadly carbon monoxide.
They were charged July 11 with manslaughter in the second degree, with prosecutors alleging that their negligent actions caused Rodriguez’ death. An investigator said their actions were a “gross deviation” from what reasonable people would have done.
The McCutcheons entered not guilty pleas to the charge and face a trial in November.
The college has made several changes since the incident.
“Since the tragedy in December, Evergreen immediately stopped using housing units that used propane for heat or hot water, ensuring a tragedy like that which took the life of Jonathan Rodriguez never happens again,” Dr. John Carmichael, president of The Evergreen State College, said in a previous statement.
New housing units will also open for students when school resumes Sept. 30.
KING 5 reached out to Rodriguez’ family for comment and their attorney said they are grieving the loss of their son and are asking for privacy.
Two service technicians who installed the tankless water heater — Frank “Chuck” McCutcheon, then 53, and his son, Brett McCutcheon, then 32 — pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter charges after Thurston County prosecutors accused them in September of negligently causing Rodriguez’s death by improperly installing the appliance.
Frank McCutcheon’s defense attorney, Eric Pilon, said the Dec. 4 installation was done properly, but something happened during the week after causing the heater’s interior pipe fitting to get pulled out or separation from the exterior exhaust pipe.
The father and son are scheduled to go to trial in November, Thurston County Superior Court records show.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Prosecutors have criminally charged a second contractor following the carbon monoxide poisoning death of a 21-year-old student from The Evergreen State College.
On December 11, 2023, Jonathan Rodriguez and two other students were found unconscious in a modular housing unit.
Rodriguez died, while the other two students survived. A campus police officer was also sent the hospital, but survived.
Investigators blamed the faulty installation of a tankless water heater in the housing a week before the poisonings.
According to Thurston County Prosecutors, Frank McCutcheon, 53, and his son Brett McCutcheon, 32, did not properly follow the manual instructions when installing the unit by failing to properly connect exhaust pipes, allowing for the leak of the colorless, odorless, deadly carbon monoxide.
They were both charged July 11 with manslaughter in the second degree, alleging that their negligent actions caused Rodriguez’s death. An investigator said their actions were a “gross deviation” from what reasonable people would have done.
Both McCutcheons entered not guilty pleas to the charge and face a trial in November.
They were not taken into custody, but they cannot speak about the incident to each other, and they have to refrain from installing any devices that generate carbon monoxide.
The college has made several changes since the incident.
“Since the tragedy in December, Evergreen immediately stopped using housing units that used propane for heat or hot water, ensuring a tragedy like that which took the life of Jonathan Rodriguez never happens again,” said Dr. John Carmichael, president of The Evergreen State College.
New housing units will also open for students when school resumes Sept. 30.
“The Evergreen (State College) tragedy has striking similarities to the deaths of Murray Church and Gail Amundsen, who died of CO poisoning in their Point Roberts home on Thanksgiving 2021. Their deaths were also due to the improper installation of a gas appliance; in their case, a condensing boiler installed in their newly constructed home…no CO detectors had been installed by the electrical contractor…despite the fact that CO detectors have been required in new and remodeled residences since 2011.”
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Two contractors have been charged after being accused of negligently causing the death of an Evergreen State College student who died from carbon monoxide poisoning in December of 2023.
Jonathan Rodriguez, 21, was found unconscious in student housing on the evening of Dec. 11 and was later declared dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. Two other students were also found unconscious inside the building, were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning and later recovered.
Investigators with the Washington State Patrol pointed to a poorly installed tankless water heater as the cause of a carbon monoxide leak in the building.
A forensic engineering expert found that the boiler had been installed without a proper source of “outside combustion air” for the unit, leading to a higher-than-normal carbon monoxide concentration. In addition, the exhaust piping was not sealed, allowing highly contaminated exhaust air to spill into the utility room.
Frank, 53, and Brett McCutcheon, 32, were the technicians who installed the water heater in early December. They were both charged July 11 with manslaughter in the second degree, alleging that their negligent actions caused Rodriguez’s death.
Frank McCutcheon had a court appearance Aug. 6.
When the water heater was in operation, carbon monoxide levels rose to as high as 1,294 parts per million in the residential area of the building. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration set the permissible exposure limit for carbon monoxide as 50 parts per million over eight hours.
The forensic engineer concluded that the McCutcheons’ installation of the water heater was “negligent” and “outside the accepted practice” in the HVAC field.
“That deficient installation caused the death of Jonathan Rodriguez by introducing into the residence levels of carbon monoxide over 20 times the acceptable limit,” court documents read.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric announced today 22 awardees of a grant program aimed at preventing carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The state and local governments were selected by CPSC, from a group of 31 applicants. CPSC will provide more than $3 million in federal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning PreventionGrant Program (COPPGP) funds that will be matched by $1 million in recipient funds. This will fund state and local government efforts to reduce deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning PreventionGrant Program Awards
Awardee
State
Award Amount
Alaska Department of Public Safety
Alaska
$100,000.00
City of Huntington Beach
California
$53,400.00
City & County of Denver
Colorado
$82,500.00
Government of District of Columbia
District of Columbia
$130,000.00
State of Georgia Department of Public Health
Georgia
$178,577.93
City of Aurora
Illinois
$51,000.00
Louisiana State Fire Marshal
Louisiana
$37,500.00
Maryland Department of State Police
Maryland
$200,000.00
City of Boston
Massachusetts
$260,031.75
City of Pontiac
Michigan
$300,000.00
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Minnesota
$200,000.00
New Hampshire Department of Safety
New Hampshire
$90,772.50
City of Jamestown
New York
$176,297.23
City of Syracuse
New York
$50,000.00
County of Rockland
New York
$100,000.00
Gates Fire District
New York
$50,000.00
City of Akron
Ohio
$76,460.00
City of Portland
Oregon
$320,000.00
City of Sevierville
Tennessee
$41,250.00
Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
Tennessee
$300,000.00
Vermont Department of Public Safety
Vermont
$50,772.01
Central Pierce Fire & Rescue
Washington
$187,500.00
CPSC’s grant program is authorized through the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2022 to provide eligible state, local, and tribal governments with grants to purchase and install CO alarms in residential homes and dwelling units of low-income families or elderly people and facilities that serve children or the elderly, including childcare centers, public schools and senior centers, and to develop training and public education programs with the goal of preventing CO poisoning. This legislation was sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) in the Senate, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Georgia) and Rep. Annie Kuster (D-New Hampshire) in the House. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on March 15, 2022.
“Following the deaths of two boys from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home, Congress enacted this grant program to prevent future tragedies. I am pleased that we are moving forward with these 22 grants to states and localities that will enable them to educate their residents and prevent CO poisoning in their communities,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric.
Grantees will have two years to use the funding to purchase and install CO alarms and complete training and education efforts.
The burning of fuels produces CO, which is a colorless, odorless gas. Exposure to unhealthy levels of CO can lead to CO poisoning, a serious health condition that could result in death. Unintentional CO poisoning from motor vehicles and fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, water heaters, portable generators, and stoves, annually kill more than 400 individuals. CO alarms save lives and should be installed on every level and outside sleeping areas in residences.
The 61-year-old driver of this rig died on June 1, 2023, after suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Washington state officials, who say the gas game from a cook stove…
FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should:
Install battery-powered CO detector alarms in truck cabs and sleeper berths.
Use only detectors made for vehicles.
Always follow the detector manufacturer’s installation, maintenance and safety instructions.
Develop and enforce clearly written accident prevention program policies for CO poisoning prevention.
Investigation report on the student death in December at Evergreen State College found that:
“Alarms on the CO detectors went off during the early-morning hours of Dec. 11, but instead of being treated as a real CO event, investigators said those alarms were treated as a faulty detector and/or a fault of the fire alarm system.”
“…the CO came from a significant leak from a newly installed tankless water heater in the inside the utility room of that unit.”
“…a lack of training and/or understanding of the functions of the fire alarm/CO systems by Evergreen employees and residence maintenance personnel.”
“The money will be used to cover the cost of a Washington State Patrol investigation into the death of the student, the cost to relocate students into other housing, and to make repairs to campus housing…”
“I was working at the Harborview Emergency Room that evening, and in addition to caring for the usual mix of patients as well as some injured from the storm, medic units began bringing in entire families who were suffering from the same symptoms…”
“Campus officials said a contractor working in the Modular Apartments housing area of campus responded to carbon monoxide alarms earlier Monday, the college said in its statement. It wasn’t clear if this was the area where the affected students lived.
The McLane Black Lake Fire Department responded to the scene and conducted carbon monoxide testing in the impacted area on Monday evening, the school said.”
OLYMPIA, Wash. — One student is dead, and two others are injured after suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at Evergreen State College Monday evening.
“This is a tragedy, and we grieve for our students and families,” said Evergreen President John Carmichael.
A contractor working in the Modular Apartments housing area of the campus responded to carbon monoxide alarms earlier in the day on Monday, according to campus officials.
Campus police were called after a student residence manager was not able to contact a few students. An Evergreen police officer broke down their door around 8:30 p.m. and performed emergency CPR on the students.
“The alarms were going off for a couple of minutes. The police showed up, then the fire department showed up,” said Kris Pennington, a college senior who lives next door. “Then they pulled someone out on a stretcher and it looked like they were trying to do CPR on them for a while.”
Two students and the responding officer were taken to local hospitals. Campus officials said their symptoms were “consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning.”
The officer was hospitalized, but released Tuesday morning, according to Evergreen Police Chief David Brunckhurst.
The Thurston County Coroner’s Office (TCCO) responded to reports of a death at the college at 9:45 p.m. Jonathan Rodriguez, 21, from Dupont was found dead when they arrived, according to TCCO. The suspected cause of death is carbon monoxide poisoning, but TCCO will release an official cause after their investigation.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) is now trying to pinpoint the source of the toxic fumes.
“Washington State Patrol is looking into it. We’re going to find that out. That’s going to be the focus of our investigation,” said WSP spokesperson Chris Loftis.
Pennington said the alarms frequently trigger and speculated on one possible source.
“From what I’m aware of the only source of carbon monoxide would be the water heaters,” Pennington said.
McLane Black Lake Fire Department also responded to the scene and did carbon monoxide testing in the impacted areas. Campus officials contacted all Evergreen students in nearby campus housing to make sure they were safe Monday night.
“We’re all in shock. This is devastating news because the safety and care of our students is our top priority,” said Dexter Gordon, the executive vice president at the college. “We are grieving with our families, especially the bereaved family, and then the families of all of our students affected and then our staff who are our first responders.”
“The children of Gail Amundsen and Murray Church have filed a lawsuit against Whatcom County and several companies alleging negligence resulting in the wrongful deaths of the couple due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.”
“Recovering from recent knee replacement surgery and spending much of his time in bed, he began hearing his CO monitor alarm going off. He had purchased it last year the day after he heard the tragic case of Point Roberts (Washington) residents Murray Church and Gail Asmundsen who died from CO poisoning on November 25…”
“Gail Amundsen and Murray Church, longtime residents of Point Roberts, were discovered dead in their home on Calder Drive on Thanksgiving Day evening.
Newly constructed, the couple had only moved into the house on August 9. According to the fire chief and WCSO, while the house had fire detectors, no CO monitors or alarms were found. Since 2011, all newly constructed homes in Washington state must have CO alarms installed adjacent to all bedrooms and on all floors.”
Bremerton, WA: “Thirty-three sailors assigned to the USS Michigan submarine were taken to the hospital Monday following potential exposure to exhaust from the boat’s diesel engine during maintenance work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.”
Spokane, WA – “…residents were using three generators that were on the roof near the unit’s windows to power portable space heaters and other electronic devices…exhaust from the generators vented back into the cracked windows, causing increased levels of dangerous carbon monoxide to accumulate”
As it gets colder, more people head inside with their windows and doors shut and their furnaces, stoves and fireplaces turned up high.
But Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said it’s prime time for carbon monoxide emergencies. In fact, there have been several in Spokane over the last few months.
The most recent incident happened at Luna, a restaurant on the South Hill. Chief Schaeffer said firefighters were called because someone reported feeling sick.
He said firefighters wear CO detectors, and as soon as they walked in, the detectors started going off, which meant the carbon monoxide level was too high.
A woman was taken to the hospital and the restaurant was evacuated.
It turned out the issue was a stove that wasn’t properly ventilating.
KHQ reached out to Luna. They didn’t want to be part of this story, but said the situation has been resolved.
Chief Schaeffer said there’s an easy way to prevent a similar situation from happening in your own home.
“This is the time of year to be proactive and make sure your CO detector is installed correctly, or that it has a battery backup,” Chief Schaeffer said.
He said everyone needs to have a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector on every floor of a home. They’re available on Amazon for less than $15.
It’s also important to note that if you’re renting an AirBnB, make sure to ask about carbon monoxide detectors. A study has showed that while 80 percent of them usually have smoke detectors, less than 50 percent usually have carbon monoxide detectors.
Several businesses were evacuated, and four people evaluated, after carbon monoxide was detected Monday afternoon at Columbia Square, the strip mall anchored by Chuck’s Produce in east Vancouver.
Emergency crews were dispatched at 4:25 p.m. to 13215 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd. Readings revealed carbon monoxide levels were above normal, Vancouver firefighter-spokeswoman Eva Scherer said. The four people evaluated for symptoms of exposure declined transport to a hospital.
The call originated from an alarm at a Supercuts barbershop, and nine businesses were affected, Scherer said. Chuck’s Produce was not among the businesses evacuated.
An “oily” or exhaust-like odor was reported, said Bob Sisson, owner of Kazoodles toy store at the east end of the shopping mall. Sisson said it appeared the issue started inside a vacant storefront near Supercuts. Workers left the space about 3:30 p.m.
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